James Risdon is a recorder player based in London. His repertoire ranges from the Middle Ages to ‘wet on the page’, including a number of transcriptions, compositions and dedications. In 2019 James gave the premier performance of a concerto written for him by Andrew Downes with the Czech Virtuosi. His debut CD “Echoes of Arcadia” follows the recorder from the pleasure garden to the mountain valley, from etherial to electronica.
He is the recorder player with the RNS .Moves Ensemble based at the Sage Gateshead and the British Paraorchestra under its director Charles Hazlewood. Recent projects have included the Death Songbook with Suede’s Brett Anderson which was broadcast on Sky Arts and Hannah Peel’s latest album The Unfolding which is shortly to perform at Edinburgh, the Sage Gateshead and the Barbican in London.
His partnership with Trevor Hughes goes back to 2009 and their many performances include recitals at the Regent hall, the Handel house Museum and St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London as well as in Germany and the Czech Republic. James studied with Alan Davis and Rebecca Miles, gaining his LRSM with distinction.
Away from performing, James featured in the 2016 documentary by Michael House exploring the legacy of Louis Braille for blind musicians which can be seen on Amazon Prime. In a past life, James gained a Master’s in German translation, played goalball at the 1996 Paralympic Games in Atlanta and worked for nine years as the Music Officer at RNIB. He now combines freelance engagements with the role of Access Coordinator at ABRSM.
Pianist Trevor Hughes is a Graduate of the Royal College of Music (where he studied organ, piano, and viola), winning the Colles Prize, and an Associate of the Royal College of Organists, winning the Doris Wookey Prize. He is currently Director of Music at Holy Saviour Church in Hitchin. Until 2001, Trevor was Musical Director of the Stevenage Choral Society, whom he directed in many large-scale choral works, including a number of first performances. He was also formerly Musical Director of the north London female voice choir "Jubilate!", for whom he has written a number of jazz-inspired arrangements. As a pianist he has accompanied recitals in the Purcell Room, the Wigmore Hall, and on BBC Radio 3. Equally at home in a wide range of musical styles, Trevor has conducted many musicals in the theatre, and he has also played keyboards in a number of West End shows.