Steve Bingham
Conductor and Visiting Violin Professor
Steve Bingham studied violin with Emmanuel Hurwitz, Sidney Griller and the Amadeus Quartet at the Royal Academy of Music from 1981 to 1985, where he won prizes for orchestral leading and string quartet playing. In 1985 he formed the Bingham String Quartet, an ensemble which has become one of the foremost in the UK, with an enviable reputation for both classical and contemporary repertoire. Steve is the violinist featured in the CD recordings of 45 of the new ABRSM string syllabus violin pieces.
The Quartet has recorded numerous CDs and has worked for radio and television both in the UK and as far afield as Australia. The group has toured in Europe, the Middle East and Australia and has worked with distinguished musicians such as Jack Brymer, Raphael Wallfisch, Michael Collins and David Campbell. The Quartet’s educational activities have included residencies at London’s South Bank Centre, for several UK festivals and at Radley College. The Quartet is also known for it’s many performances of new works by some of the best young composers in Britain.
Steve has appeared as guest leader with many orchestras including the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, English National Ballet and English Sinfonia. He has given solo recitals both in the UK and America and his concerto performances include works by Bach, Vivaldi, Bruch, Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and Sibelius, given in venues as prestigious as St. Johns’ Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall.
In recent years Steve has developed his interest in improvisation, electronics and World music, collaborating with several notable musicians including guitarist Jason Carter and players such as Sanju Vishnu Sahai (tabla), Baluji Shivastrav (sitar) and Abdullah Ibrahim (piano). Steve also plays live with No-Man, the progressive art-rock duo of Tim Bowness and Steve Wilson.
Steve’s debut solo CD “Duplicity” was released in November 2005, and has been played on several radio stations including BBC Radio 3 and Classic FM. His second solo CD, entitled “Ascension”, was released in December 2008 and has since been followed by "Touchable Dreams", a CD of poetry and violin with Jeremy Harmer, “Third”, an eclectic mix of live-looped pieces, and in 2014 “The Persistence Of Vision”, which features the amazing Bach D minor Partita, and works by Michael Nyman.
Steve has also released many single tracks, and has an active YouTube channel featuring many weird and wonderful video creations!
Beyond performing on the violin Steve is a conductor of some repute, and currently conducts the Ely Sinfonia, Ad Hoc Sinfonia and Norfolk Symphony Orchestra, with guest appearances with several other ensembles.
Steve is a committed teacher and is a coach on many chamber music courses as well as giving regular school workshops to all age groups. He is particularly known for his communication skills and enthusiasm. Steve is also Joint CEO of PartPlay, an exciting online music service for chamber musicians, and Editor for the European String Teachers Association (UK).