Meriel Cartwright – Violin
“I love playing in a string quartet; it’s great fun and I get an enormous feeling of satisfaction knowing that I’ve added a bit of sparkle to someone’s special day.”
Meriel grew up playing with the Derbyshire County Youth Orchestra under Peter Stark and the Midland Youth Orchestra where she worked with Paul Daniel. Since moving to London, Meriel has played with Philharmonia Britannica, Forest Philharmonic and the Brent Symphony Orchestra. She is a keen baroque player and attended Dartington Summer School in 2010 to work with Nicolette Moonen.
Rose Richardson – Violin
“As a musician, there is nothing quite like playing live music and it’s a great feeling knowing that we’ve helped to make someone’s day just that little bit more special.”
Rose studied with Christina Bowles and Frederick August and is now a teaching violinist based in North London. As well as playing in various professional ensembles, Rose is also a member of Forest Philharmonic, the Stortford Quintet and Trilogia ensemble.
Simon Smith – Viola
“I enjoy the communication and friendship that comes with playing in a quartet. We love what we do and I think that comes across in our playing!”
Simon started playing the violin at the age of 8, switching to the viola when he was 14. He played principal viola with the Gloucestershire Young Peoples String Ensemble, undertaking up to 20 concerts a year and touring Spain extensively. Whilst studying Economics at Brunel University, Simon played with the London Arts Orchestra and the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra. Simon was a founder member of Occasional Strings in 2004.
Paul McLoughlin – Cello
“String quartets are very versatile and I enjoy the challenge of sourcing and arranging the music that people want to make their day special.”
Paul has been playing the ‘cello since the age of 9 and now plays in the Barnet Symphony Orchestra, where he is Chairman. Paul was responsible for co-founding Occasional Strings in 2004 and organises music, bookings and people to allow the group to perform.
