Imogen started playing the violin at the age of 6 and won an exhibition to the RCM Junior Department aged 11. On entering the RCM full time, she studied with John Ludlow and latterly, Rodney Friend and Hugh Bean. During her time at the RCM, she led three of the four College orchestras, and secured a job in the BBC Symphony Orchestra during her 4th year of study. Upon leaving the RCM, she was awarded the Tagore Gold medal for the most outstanding student of the year. Four years later in she became the youngest member of the Philharmonia, where she played for 30 years in venues across the globe and with many of the world’s finest conductors and soloists. Since leaving in 2017, Imogen has pursued a very busy freelance career orchestrally mainly in London, but also playing in guest principal positions in Birmingham, Cardiff, Bournemouth, Newcastle, and Liverpool. She joined the Oxford Philharmonic after being offered a Principal First Violin position in 2018.

Barbara Dziewiecka-Data is Principal First Violin of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Barbara. Born in Poland, she graduated from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama and Royal College of Music in London, where she studied with Krzysztof Śmietana and Itzhak Rashkovsky. Barbara’s solo and chamber music performances has taken her to various music festivals around the world in the UK, United States, Poland, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Colombia, Cuba, Azerbaijan and others. Since 2010, Barbara has been regularly working with Nigel Kennedy, as a co-leader of his Orchestra of Life, as well as individually, including recordings for Sony Classical, 2013 BBC Proms at the Royal Albert Hall as a section Principal and performances in Philharmonic Halls in Berlin, Munich and others. As an orchestral player Barbara has played in various British orchestras including the BBC Symphony Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She was Principal Second violin in Senbla Orchestra for Quincy Jones’s Gala concerts in London and Paris. Barbara is also a solo violinist in a Latin-American ensemble Classico Latino, with which she regularly travels to perform in Colombia, including Teatro Colon in Bogotá. She appeared in all major Colombian TV and radio stations and recorded an album in the legendary Egrem Studios in Havana, Cuba.

Colin Callow studied at Chetham’s School and the Royal Northern College of Music. He performed with the Northern Sinfonia, before taking a position with the Amphion quartet. Subsequently, he has performed with quartets including the English, Medici and Chilingirian quartet, and played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra for 19 years, and more recently with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. He has coached many summer schools in England and Italy as an assistant to Manny Hurwitz. Colin is Principal 2^nd Violin of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. 

Born of Italian and Danish parentage, the violinist Claudia Ajmone-Marsan is a member of Ensemble 360 and Camerata Bern, Switzerland. Always active as a chamber musician, Claudia has played in international festivals around the world including Hong Kong, Australia, New Zealand, Argentina, Belgium, Spain and the International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove and Plush. She has performed live on BBC Radio 3 and Israeli, Belgian, Swiss and Swedish radios. Claudia has played regularly in orchestras such as the Berlin Staatskapelle (under Daniel Barenboim), the Royal Danish Orchestra, Ensemble Modern, the Philharmonia and the Cologne Chamber Orchestra. As concertmaster, she has led the Kammerphilharmonie Neuss am Rhein, Santander Festival Orchestra and the Presteigne Festival Orchestra. As principle second, she has guested with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra, Camerata Nordica and the Welsh National Opera. Her solo performances have included appearances with the Copenhagen Chamber Soloists, Oberlin Conservatory Chamber Orchestra and Kammerphilharmonie Amadé. She has recorded a CD with pianist Tanya Bannister, which was selected on ArtsBeat as the ‘Pick of the Week’ by the New York Times.  As a founding faculty member of Alpenkammermusik in Austria, Claudia has coached and played alongside musicians both amateur and pre-professional.

Born in 1983 in Kraków, Alicja Smietana is Assistant Concertmaster of the Oxford Philharmonic. Winner of numerous competitions and awards, Alicja studied at the Kraków Academy of Music, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Kronberg Academy where her teacher was Christian Tetzlaff. Alicja has performed as a soloist and chamber musician with many of the world’s greatest musicians including Gideon Kremer, Nigel Kennedy, Martha Argerich, Simon Rattle and Gustavo Dudamel. In 2010, she was asked by Nigel Kennedy to become a co-artistic director of his new Orchestra of Life, with which she has also performed in the most renowned halls including the Berlin, Cologne and Munich Philharmonies, the Palais des congrès de Paris and the Royal Festival Hall. Alicja plays a magnificent Camillus Camilli violin dated 1740 with a Jean Persoit bow thanks to Mr Nigel Brown and the Stradivari Trust.

Katerina Nazarova is Assistant Concertmaster of the Oxford Philharmonic. Born in Tasmania, Katerina began playing the violin and piano at a very early age and made her solo debut at age 11 with the Tasmanian Symphony Orchestra, broadcast nationally on ABC Television. In 2012 she won Australia’s most prestigious music competition, the ABC Symphony Australia Young Performers Awards. Subsequently she made her debuts with the Sydney Symphony Orchestra performing the Brahms Violin Concerto and the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. As a chamber musician Katerina has performed across Europe and Asia with such musicians as Roman Simovic, Sasha Zemtsov, Olga Sitkovetsky and Andrew Marriner. Katerina has led various orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, CBSO, BBC Concert Orchestra, Bournemouth Symphony and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. She is a prize-winner in various competitions including the 2015 Royal Overseas League Music Competition, the Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy, and won the RCM Concerto Competition.

Victor Dernovski was born in St Petersburg and gave his first concert with a symphony orchestra in the prestigious Philharmonia Hall in his hometown, aged 9. In 1980, he joined the Moscow Tchaikovsky Conservatoire, studying with Leonid Kogan and Igor Bezrodny. In 1986, Dernovski joined the Moscow Soloists ensemble under the direction of Yury Bashmet, and in 1995, was appointed a leader of the Orchestre National de Lyon. Since 1997, Dernovski has been leader of the L’Orchestre Symphonique de Mulhouse. He has been invited to guest lead a number of prestigious orchestras, including the Hallé Orchestra, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande and the London Symphony Orchestra (guest co-leader). Alongside this, Dernovski participates in numerous festivals in Europe and the United States as a solo and chamber musician. He was appointed Assistant Concertmaster of the Oxford Philharmonic in 2018.

Charlotte Scott has enjoyed a varied career as a chamber musician, soloist and concertmaster. She has been Associate Concertmaster of Oxford Philharmonic since 2015. Charlotte studied at Wells Cathedral School and at the Royal Academy of Music where she won the Franstein Violin Prize. Charlotte was 1^st violinist of the Piatti Quartet from 2006-2013, during which time they were nominated for a Royal Philharmonic Society Award. The quartet enjoyed an international concert schedule at venues included Wigmore Hall (live BBC Radio 3), Madrid’s National Auditorium and the Vienna Konzerthaus. Their discography includes recordings for LINN Records, Classical Label and Champs Hill. From 2013-2017, she was the 1^st violinist of the Badke Quartet, performing in venues including Concertgebouw and Esterhazy Palace. Charlotte is currently a member of the Oculi Ensemble. As a soloist Charlotte has performed with some of the leading UK orchestras and with her duo partner James Baillieu, at venues and festivals throughout the UK. Charlotte is a regular guest Concertmaster for orchestras including the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Royal National Scottish Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic, where she has taken part in numerous live broadcasts and concerts at the BBC Proms. Charlotte plays on a violin by Antonio Stradivarius 1685 ‘Gagliano’.

Evgenia Epshtein is Associate Concertmaster of the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. Born in Sverdlovsk (now Ekaterinburg), Russia, she began her violin studies at the age of six and attended the High School for Gifted Musicians under Vladimir Milshtein. Evgenia immigrated to Israel in 1990 where she studied with Arthur Zisserman, Yair Kless and Irena Svetlova at the Tel Aviv Academy of Music. She then studied with Benzion Shamir at the Rotterdam Royal Academy, where she received her master’s degree. As co-founder of the Aviv Quartet, Evgenia is a winner of the Third Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition (1999 Grand Prix and four special prizes), the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition (2003) and Charles Hennen Music competition (1999).

Praised by The Strad as a ‘poised and calmly confident player’, Shlomy Dobrinsky is Associate Concertmaster of Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra. After receiving a master’s degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama following his undergraduate degree at the Royal College of Music, Shlomy has performed with some of the world’s finest orchestras, including the Philharmonia, of which he was a member for 11 years. Shlomy has won various prizes at international violin competitions, including the Lipizier in Italy, the Unisa in Pretoria and the Philharmonia/MMSF Concerto Award which granted him an invitation to debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra. As a chamber musician, Shlomy performed at the most prestigious concert halls including Wigmore Hall and the Southbank Centre. Shlomy also enjoys teaching and has given masterclasses including at the Koster Festival, Sweden and Chipping Campden Academy.