Launched in December 2006 with the inaugural concert at the Wigmore Hall (05/12/06)

This is a new flexible ensemble with anywhere between three and seven players, the largest ensemble is based around the instrumentation of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro' (flute, clarinet, string quartet and harp).
The core of five players include some of the finest young musicians around today (Sally Pryce, harp, Elizabeth Cooney, violin, Adam Walker, flute, Reiad Chibah, viola and Gemma Rosefield, cello).
They explore a diverse repertoire spanning from Spohr, Mozart, Roussel, Ravel, Bax, Debussy to Huw Watkins.
Of their March 2008 concert at the Wigmore Hall, supported by the Young Concert Artists Trust, Bill Briggs of musicweb-international.com wrote:

'The music making was of the highest order and we were treated to something very special.'
'Such was the power,insight and commitment of the musicians (Debussy's two Danses for harp and string quartet) that it was hard to believe that we were only listening to a string quartet and not a full body of strings supported by the harp.
An excellent and most satisfying performance.'
'This music (Ravel's Introduction and Allegro) is extrovert and fantastic, truly virtuosic and a sheer joy. It brought the house down.'

The Dorette Duo

Elizabeth Cooney, violin and Sally Pryce, harp met as scholars at the Royal College of Music London and both graduated in 2001 with first class honours. As soloists they have since made their mark on the international stage and have come together as a duo to perform a wide spectrum of repertoire for violin and harp including works rarely if ever heard by audiences.

Sally Pryce studied with Daphne Boden at the RCM and was selected for representation by The Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT) in 2003. Sally won 1st Prize at the London Harp Competition in 1999 and the Marisa Robles Harp Prize at the Royal Over-Seas League Competition as well as having been a finalist in the BBC Young Musician Competition.

She has performed at the Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, the Bridgewater Hall , Cardiff Millenium Centre among many others in Britain and at the 8th World Harp Congress in Geneva, the Yamaha Foundation in Tokyo as well as recitals all over Europe and the USA Earlier this year, Sally played to critical acclaim in the Park Lane Group's 'New Year Series' at the Purcell Room ('Unquestionably Impressive' - The Guardian) and toured as soloist with the Scottish Ensemble at Queen's Hall, Edinburgh and venues throughout Scotland.

Future plans include world premieres of new works by Huw Watkins and Adrian Williams especially commissioned for her by the Presteigne Festival (August), performances at Snape Maltings in December, a return to the Wigmore Hall with her recently formed Sally Pryce Ensemble (flute, clarinet, string quartet and harp) next year and Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto with Adam Walker and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in May 2007. Elizabeth Cooney held both the Mills Williams and Phoebe Benham Junior Fellowships at the RCM where she studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky. While there she was also awarded the Seymour Whinyates Prize for Strings and the Ian Stoutzker Prize for Violin.

Selected as Ireland's Rising Star 2006 by the National Concert Hall Dublin, Elizabeth's debut recital there in February 06 was highly acclaimed. In 2002 she made her Royal Festival Hall debut with Tully Potter of The Strad describing her as 'a talent to watch' and in 2004 she made her Wigmore Hall debut with Daniel Hill on piano. She has performed in major venues throughout Europe and the USA and will make her Carnegie Hall debut in October 2006.

Elizabeth won second prize at the Sion-Valais International Violin Competition in Switzerland, the audience prize and the award for best interpretation of the compulsory piece.

She has worked with conductors Paavo Jarvi, Aleksander Anissimov, Laurent Wagner and Joseph Domenech Cabalech among others and last year released her first CD, called 'Debut' to critical acclaim ('remarkable virtuosity' - Sunday Tribune). The CD may be downloaded on Apple iTunes.

Elizabeth is a keen chamber musician and has given a recital of Brahms Sonatas with Barry Douglas, performed also with John O'Conor, piano, Fionnula Hunt, violin and with her own piano trio, the Sans Souci who premiered Mark Anthony Turnage's piano trio 'A Fast Stomp' at the Canterbury Music Festival.

We chose the name Dorette for our violin and harp duo after discovering that this was the name of Louis Spohr's wife. Louis Spohr was a renowned violinist and composer of his day and performed many recitals with Dorette, one of the great harpists of the time. Dorette, along with her husband was responsible for bringing music for violin and harp to many audiences throughout Europe.