James Warburton is a freelance violinist and violist based in
Manchester and has performed with many of the region's leading
professional orchestras.
Having recently completed his
undergraduate degree at the Royal Northern College of Music with
First Class Honours, James now enjoys a varied career of chamber
music, solo playing, professional orchestral playing and teaching
violin, viola, piano and music theory.
Biography
James Warburton is a freelance violinist based in
the North West of England. He graduated from the Royal
Northern College of Music in Manchester with first-class honours.
Hailing from Bolton, James started playing the violin at age 7 and progressed
through the local music service orchestras, before before joining
the Halle Youth Orchestra and the RNCM’s junior department, where
he was taught by Steve Wilkie for four years. During his undergraduate degree,
James led notable projects such as their production of The Marriage of Figaro and
the RNCM Symphony Orchestra’s annual Bridgewater Hall concert.
James is a regular freelance player with a number of orchestras across the North,
including the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic, Hallé Orchestra,
City of Stoke Symphony Orchestra, Brigantes Orchestra, and Manchester Concert Orchestra.
He also sits on the board of trustees for the Enys Chamber Music Festival in Cornwall,
now a registered charity dedicated to bringing high-quality music to the region - a
mission he’s supported through his playing in recent years. In addition, he runs Egerton
Strings, providing string music for weddings, events, and concerts.
James is very fortunate to play a 1772 Joseph Hill violin, generously loaned to
him by the Tompkins Tate Musical Instrument Trust. He enjoys computer games and
coding, including making this website from scratch!
Ensembles
Franco-Mendès Quartet
The Franco-Mendès Quartet was formed in the autumn of 2019 by
four students at the Royal Northern College of Music; Dylan
Latham, James Warburton, Ammal Bhatia and Stefan Rogers.
Despite
the soon-to-emerge COVID-19 pandemic, they have been fortunate
enough to study with many of the UK's top chamber musicians and
ensembles, such as the Chilingirian Quartet, Elias Quartet and
Piatti Quartet. They have also had the pleasure of receiving
tutelage from a range of international artists, including Louis
Rodde, Paloma Koudier and Henk Guittart.
In 2021, the
quartet were invited to attend the Chilingirian Quartet's summer
course at West Dean College of Arts and Conservation, imbursed
generously by their patrons. The quartet also give annual
concerts at Enys Gardens in Cornwall as their Quartet in
Residence.
The Franco-Mendès Quartet are available to
perform in weddings and events, and boast a repertoire ranging
from classical to popular with the opportunity to request your
own song choices.
Teaching
James is available to teach Violin, Viola, Piano and Music Theory in Manchester. He has been performing professionally on the Violin and Viola for multiple years, and holds ABRSM Grade 8 in Piano and Grade 7 in Music Theory.
