Full Biography

Sarah Field was born in Canterbury, Kent and studied trumpet & saxophone at the Royal Northern College of Music, the first musician ever to graduate with Professional Performance Diplomas in both woodwind and brass. Following this success Sarah was awarded a scholarship to study by the Royal Academy of Music, along with support from the Countess of Munster Musical Trust Award, Ian Fleming Charitable Trust and Martin Scholarship Musical Fund. During this time Sarah performed Shostakovich’s Concerto no.1 for trumpet & piano with pianist John Lill (St John’s Smith Square), performed solos on trumpet & saxophone with the BBC Concert Orchestra live from the Queen Elizabeth Hall on BBC Radio 2 and again on both instruments for the final of the RAM Wigmore Award at the Wigmore Hall.

As a saxophonist Sarah won both the Royal Over-Seas League Competition Main Solo Award for Woodwind & Brass, the Making Music (NFMS) Award for Young Concert Artists in 2000, as well as being invited to feature on the prestigious Countess of Munster Recital Scheme. These accolades brought Sarah into the limelight, leading to broadcasts on ClassicfM and BBC Radio 3’s "In Tune". Major festival invitations have included the Brighton, Edinburgh, Newbury Spring and Cheltenham International Festivals. She was featured in The Times article "Magnificent Seven" which highlighted a selection of young artists "most likely to succeed" that appeared in the Edinburgh Festival.

International solo tours have included Belgium, South Africa (including a concerto with KwaZulu Natal Philharmonic under the baton of En Shao) and New Zealand at the Christchurch Festival (new music with sax & string quartet) and Government House, Wellington. Recent UK appearances have included the premiere of Eric Sweeney’s saxophone concerto with the Goldberg Ensemble at the RNCM, and recent recitals at the Purcell Room, Bridgewater Hall, Manchester and British Saxophone Congress.

2004 marked a busy and exciting year for Sarah with a wide range of interesting projects including a new recital programme "Electric Saxophone" (saxophone & electronics), a concert as part of the Deal Festival (saxophone, piano & actor) and her debut as a solo artist at the Southbank’s Purcell Room with the Bronte String Quartet and piano (including a premiere by Cecilia McDowall for saxophone & string quartet).

Simon Lepper was born in Kent and educated at King’s College Cambridge and the Royal Academy of Music, London where he studied with Michael Dussek. He obtained a Dip.RAM for postgraduate study, the highest award for postgraduate study, and was subsequently awarded the Hodgson Fellowship. In 2005 he became an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music. Competition successes include the 2000 Gerald Moore Award and the accompanist prizes in the 2002 Kathleen Ferrier Competition, 2000 Maggie Teyte Song Competition and the 1999 Royal Overseas League Competition.

Simon works with many of the leading young singers of his generation including Karen Cargill, Jared Holt, Gillian Keith, Gweneth-Ann Jeffers, Kate Royal, James Rutherford and BBC New Generations artists Andrew Kennedy, Sally Matthews and Ailish Tynan.

Performances have included recitals in the festivals of Aldeburgh, Arundel, Brighton, Buxton, Chester, Chichester, Edinburgh Fringe, Newbury, Swansea and Three Choirs, and at venues including the Bridgewater Hall, Queen Elizabeth Hall, Purcell Room, St John's Smith Square and Wigmore Hall. Simon has appeared on Radio 2, Classic FM, BBC Wales and Japanese television. He frequently performs on BBC Radio 3. Broadcasts have included recitals with New Generations Artists Sally Matthews and Ailish Tynan (BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff Song Prize-winner), with Karen Cargill for Voices, a recital of Dichterliebe with Jared Holt from the Waterfront Hall, Belfast, a performance of Die Schöne Müllerin from Gresford Church, Wales, and an English Song recital with Roderick Williams.

Simon has recorded a CD of Debussy’s early songs with the soprano Gillian Keith on the Deux-Elles label. Recent engagements have included recitals at the Wigmore Hall with Karen Cargill, Andrew Kennedy, James Rutherford and Ailish Tynan, a recital with tenor Edgaras Montvidas at the Vilnius Festival, Lithuania and at the City of London Festival with Sally Matthews. Simon performed last season in China, France, New Zealand and Switzerland. Future engagements include recitals with Sally Matthews at the Wigmore Hall, with Andrew Kennedy at the Bridgewater Hall, with Gillian Keith at the festivals of Brighton and Buxton and throughout Great Britain with the classical saxophonist Sarah Field and cellist Gemma Rosefield. Simon is an official accompanist for the BBC Singer of the World in Cardiff Competition.

Sarah Field & Simon Lepper were Appointed Artists to South East Music Schemes 2004-2006

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Image Gallery

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Press Cuttings

 More press reviews can be found at Sarah's website, www.sarahfield.supanet.com