British violinist, Peter Nall, started violin lessons aged 7 and was soon captivated by the instrument, hearing and meeting artists such as Campoli, Ricci, Menuhin, Kyung Wha Chung, and seeing orchestras backstage like the RPO, Leipzig Gewandhaus, Czech Philharmonic, ECO, and Philharmonia Orchestra on a regular basis. A truly privileged musical upbringing!
At 9, after a backstage lesson at the Albert Hall and encouragement from Ronald Thomas, “to get a good teacher,” things moved on quickly and soon Peter joined the renowned Leicestershire Schools of Music. As time went on he began leading and touring as soloist with Leicestershire and performed the Mendelssohn and Bruch concertos at festivals in Salzburg, Vienna, and Saarland.
Professionally Peter has performed all over the world from Carnegie Hall to Beijing’s Great Hall of the People, the Vatican, for the Pope, and, on several occasions, for Royalty at Buckingham Palace. He has worked with some of the greatest artists of our age including Yehudi Menuhin, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Gergiev, Gatti, Rattle, Ashkenazy, Murray Perahia, and, on the lighter side, The Three Tenors, Shirley Bassey, k.d. lang, Ray Davis (of The Kinks), Nerina Pallot, and Wynton Marsalis and the Lincoln Centre Band.
Peter studied at the Royal College of Music as a scholar with Jaroslav Vanecek, then later with Emanuel Hurwitz and David Takeno. At the RCM Peter led the 20th Century Ensemble under George Benjamin, performing for Olivier Messiaen, and took part in masterclasses with the legendary Smetana Quartet. He continued his studies in Aldeburgh at the Britten-Pears School on courses under Rostropovich, Sir Colin Davis, and Tamas Vasary. He has been a member of both the BBC Philharmonic and BBC Radio Orchestras before following Tamas Vasary and joining the Bournemouth Sinfonietta as a sub principal 1st Violin in 1992 until the orchestra’s tragic closure in November 1999. Peter has also been soloist and director of the English National Baroque Ensemble, Co-Leader of Stratford’s Orchestra of the Swan, and has played regularly with the Philharmonia, RPO, CBSO, and BBCSOs. For fourteen years Peter played full-time in the 1st Violin section of the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Performing at Glyndbourne, recording the Lord of the Rings soundtrack, and international tours are among the many highlights during that time. As well as playing regularly with the London Chamber Orchestra, with whom he performed at the Royal Wedding of William and Kate, Peter leads various chamber ensembles, coaches and directs amateur orchestras, and in 2015 was appointed leader of the Rehearsal Orchestra, coaching on courses in London throughout the year and the orchestra’s week at the Edinburgh Festival, where he will play the Korngold Concerto in 2024. In December 2022, alongside esteemed colleagues Andy Massey (piano) & Nicola Tait-Baxter (cello), his newly formed “Telensky Trio” gave their debut performance in the beautiful Flamstead Church to a capacity audience and are looking forward to many more exciting concerts together in the very near future.
Alongside a playing career Peter also deals in fine stringed instruments and bows, and for 25 years now has been playing on his beautiful Cremonese violin by G.B.Ceruti of 1810.
