SIDETRACKS & DETOURS 14th June 2026. Classical Music In Portsmouth profile ALEXANDRA PEEL, violinist and Jazz in Reading preview THE BLACKHAWKE QUINTET
MUSIC IN PORTSMOUTH
ALEXANDRA PEEL, VIOLINIST previews a concert with the Havant Symphony Orchestra, and updates her profile
shared by Norman Warwick
Alexandra Peel recently (right) played Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy with the Havant Symphony Orchestra in its Echoes of the Isles concert on 28 February 2026 in Warblington School.
Before the concert she gave an interview to Music In Portsmouth web site and its newsletter.
What are you looking most forward to when performing at this concert with the Havant?
I’m most looking forward to the real sense of joy that performing a work like this with such a wonderful orchestra brings! I first discovered a recording of Bruch’s Scottish Fantasy when I was around twelve or thirteen, and it quickly became one of my favourite works. At the time, performing the Scottish Fantasy with orchestra was very much a dream, so the experience feels incredibly special.
Who and/or what have been the most important influences on your musical career or interest in music?
My mother encouraged me from an early age, seeing how much I enjoyed the music around dance, which I did a lot (I did ballet, tap and modern dance). Carmel Kaine was one of my first teachers, and she gave me an initial vision of what might be involved in making music into a career. I boarded at the Purcell School for Young Musicians from the age of 9 – a wonderful musical education, with great teachers and peers; I’d like to mention Nathaniel Vallois as a brilliant violin teacher there. More recently, my professor at the RCM, Emily Sun, has been absolutely invaluable with her guidance and advice, and I feel very lucky to have been part of her class.
What have been the greatest challenges of your musical career so far?
There have been many challenges along the way, but one I’ve become increasingly conscious of is finding the balance between disciplined, intensive practice and taking care of our health as musicians. The physical demands of long hours can really add up, so learning how to work sustainably, and allowing space for life outside of the practise room is really crucial for the long-term!
What are the particular pleasures and challenges of collaborating with other musicians?
The violin is an instrument that is made for playing with other people. I love the chamber repertoire with strings, in rehearsal and in performance, to communicate something special together.
Are there any composers for whom you feel a particular affinity?
It depends on the work – for solo pieces, it has to be Bach. I’m playing a lot of Romantic composers at the moment, but in fact I’ve got very wide tastes, from Classical through to many other genres. Basically, I like playing any music that I’m listening to, and that’s certainly not all Classical.
We’re very much encouraged by the RCM to try lots of things out: the College has a film composition department, and the violin is well suited to both film and games music.
I’ve recently had the pleasure of recording some of the soundtrack to an up-and-coming documentary Stopped, by the Academy-award winning production company Slick Films, which was an incredible creative opportunity!
What are your most memorable experiences, either as a performer, composer or listener?
My first concerto performance with an orchestra, which was Mendelssohn’s Violin Concerto with the Amadeus Chamber Orchestra in St Alban’s.
What advice would you give to those who are considering a career in music?
Go easy on yourself and have patience: it doesn’t help you if you’re always comparing yourself to others. Throw yourself in and enjoy the complete process of music-making. Try to make something your own. All of this helps with motivation and discipline.
How would you define success as a musician?
If only one person enjoys a performance you’ve been in, that’s what I’d call a success.
What would you like to be doing in 5 years’ time?
In five years, I hope to still be playing music I love while continuing to grow and learn as an artist. I’m conscious that the industry doesn’t always follow a straight path, so I try not to be too rigid about long-term plans! My focus is on making the most of every opportunity that comes my way and staying fully engaged with what is both a challenging and incredibly rewarding career.
About Alexandra
British violinist Alexandra Peel made her concert debut in 2013 at Raymond Weil’s Pre-Event for Classic FM Live at the Royal Albert Hall. A graduate of the Royal College of Music as a Yehudi Menuhin Scholar studying with Emily Sun, she has performed at renowned UK venues including the Royal Festival Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields and the Barbican, and has recorded in studios such as Abbey Road, Angel, and RAK.
Praised for her “beautiful, sonorous tone,” and described as “certainly a name to watch”, Alexandra has performed as a concerto soloist with ensembles including the Amadeus Chamber, Havant Chamber, Solent Symphony, and Petersfield Orchestras. In 2024, she was named as a String Finalist at the Tunbridge Wells International Music Competition, and previously won the Gold Award at the 2nd New Talent British International Music Competition. As a passionate chamber musician, she has performed alongside internationally acclaimed artists such as the Harlem Quartet, Alireza Ghorbani, and as a member of the LGT Young Soloists. In addition to her live performances, Alexandra has recently recorded as a soloist for Stopped, an upcoming documentary produced by the Academy Award-winning Slick Films. She currently plays on a 1926 Dante and Alfredo Guastalla violin, generously loaned to her by the Harrison-Frank Family Foundation.
JAZZ AT PROGRESS
Friday 1 May 2026 | Progress Theatre, Reading | 7:30pm | £20.00 (£18.00 concessions, £10 under 16) plus maximum 5% booking fee | Bar at all gigs from 7:00pm. Drinks may be taken into the auditorium.
note from JAZZ IN READING
forwarded by sidetracks & detours
MATT SKELTON PRESENTS
THE BLACKHAWK QUINTET:
CELEBRATING SHELLEY MANNE
In September 1959, multi-poll-winning drummer and bandleader Shelley Manne, a veteran of the Woody Herman and Stan Kenton big bands and a central figure in the American West Coast jazz scene of the 1950s, led his quintet on a sensational booking at The Blackhawk club in San Francisco. Fans filled the basement club each night and Lester Koenig of Contemporary Records recorded every note on his specially installed recording equipment, resulting in five classic albums – ‘Live at the Blackhawk’.
“Manne made many fine sessions of his own for Contemporary Records,” write Richard Cook and Brian Morton in their indispensable ‘The Penguin Jazz Guide: The History of the Music in 1001 Best Albums’ … “but the very best representation of him on record is the sequence of albums recorded at the Blackhawk, the dive where one of Miles Davis’ most revealing live sequences was recorded at a later residency in 1961.”
Shelley Manne’s Blackhawk recordings are the centrepiece of inspiration for Matt Skelton and his Blackhawk Quintet, a hand-picked, all-star band – James Davison, trumpet; Mark Crooks, tenor saxophone; Leon Greening, piano; Conor Chaplin, bass; Matt Skelton, drums – that has taken the UK and international jazz scene by storm.
”We have such a great time playing,” enthused Matt in a recent interview. “It’s a boundless source of joy to share this music with the people in the band and the audiences we meet.”
“Shelley kept time for everyone and never had a bad word to say,” Skelton continued. “I love that: A genuine polymath whose ways of unselfish collaboration have given a completely unique sound and texture to the world of jazz.”
“Jazz nights don’t come any better than this. We are still smiling.” Watermill Jazz Club, Dorking
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