Flora Curzon is an award-winning violinist based in London. She has released albums including Unfurl (Fran & Flora, Feb 2019), and Meditations and Laments (Gaia Duo, Dec 2019), and has performed as a solo artist, chamber and orchestral musician, folk fiddler, improviser and singer at venues and studios including The Wigmore Hall, Kings Place, The Globe, Jools Holland and Tiny Desk. Her critically acclaimed experimental folk duo, Fran & Flora, hailed as brave and classy by Robin Denselow (The Guardian), has toured internationally, and has been interviewed on radio programs including BBC Radio 4s Woman's Hour and BBC6 Music with Cerys Matthews.
Flora performs all kinds of classical and contemporary music, Klezmer, and traditional music from across the British Isles. She performs on both a 'modern' (metal string) violin and 'historical' (gut string) violin, and experiments with live electronics. Her unique interests and skills have led her towards a wide range of collaborations and opportunities including most recently with London Klezmer Quartet, Oliveros Ensemble, English Touring Opera (Bach - St John Passion), Barokksolistene (Siwan), Shobana Jayasingh Dance (Clorinda Agonistes), David Shweitzer (Our Great National Parks - feat. Barack Obama), James Riley & The Rooftop Assembly, and Khiyo (new album 'Bondona' released 22nd July 2022). Passionate about live performance, Flora collaborates with MishMash Productions to create fully-staged 'chamber-music-theatre' for Young Audiences, and has performed in staged shows by Jocelyn Pook and Deafinitely Theatre. In February 2020 she was interviewed on BBC Radio 3 This Classical Life with Jess Gillam.
An experienced string-arranger and recording artist Flora creates and records string parts for albums, films and TV. She is currently working on her debut solo record.
current projects
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Fran & Flora
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collaborations
Francesca Ter-Berg | Sam Lee | Talvin Singh | Tcha Limberger | The Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment | Jocelyn Pook | The Bach Players | London Sinfonietta | Brodsky Quartet | James Spinney | Music for Awhile | Ex Cathedra | English Touring Opera | Aurora Orchestra | The Multi-Story Orchestra | Nico Muhly | David Schweitzer | Bill Carslake | Oliver Weeks | Linde Timmermans | Daniel Inzani | Dunajska Kapelye | She'koyokh | The London Klezmer Quartet | Khiyo | Sheema Murkherjee | TEYR | Sam Beste / Hejira | Meilyr Jones | Jamie Cullum | Katsha'nes | Chris Salisbury | The Twisted Twenty | The London Chamber Collective | The Keats Quartet | Phaedra Ensemble | Project Instrumental | Deafinitely Theatre | Chai for All | MishMash Productions | Shobana Jayasingh | Ceilidh Liberation Front | Anand Kirtan | Cosmo Sheldrake | Dietrich Strause | MC Dizraeli | Owen Shiers | Portico Quartet | Katy Carr | Scarlett in the Wilderness | Th' Parish | Nerys Joseph | Laura Hocking | Danyal Dhondy | Mead Men | Moushumi Bhowmik | Simon Rogers | Dodie | Andrew T Mackay | Jarvis Cocker | Chas and Dave | Baladeste | Fiona Bevan | James Riley & The Rooftop Assembly | Barokksolistene | Rick Leigh | Zac Gvi | Sounds Creative - Tots Tunes live band |
education
2018-2019
Royal Academy of Music - Professional Diploma in Historical Performance supported by the RC Wyse Bequest Award
Professors: Rachel Podger, Nicolette Moonen, Margaret Faultless
Competitions and Prizes: Music Patrons’ Award 2019 competition winner, Bickerdike Allen Prize, Roy Burcher Prize, DipRAM
Highlights: Solo recital at the Wigmore Hall; leader of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis; top distinction in Final Recital
2012-2014
Royal Academy of Music - Masters in Violin
Professors: Maureen Smith, Elizabeth Wallfisch
Competitions and Prizes: John McAslan Prize, DipRAM
Masterclasses: Maxim Vengerov, Ruth Watermann
Highlights: Royal Academy of Music Sainsbury Soloists; collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet
Other
Violin studies with Peter Hanson
Improvisation with David Dolan, Tcha Limberger, Alan Bern and Ross Daly,
Transylvanian music with Marcel Ramba and Moldavian music with Marin Bunea
Klezmer music at Yiddish Summer Weimar (Cookie Segelstein, Alan Bern) and KlezKanada (Jake Shulman-Ment)
BA in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics from King's College London (2008-2011)
Royal Academy of Music - Professional Diploma in Historical Performance supported by the RC Wyse Bequest Award
Professors: Rachel Podger, Nicolette Moonen, Margaret Faultless
Competitions and Prizes: Music Patrons’ Award 2019 competition winner, Bickerdike Allen Prize, Roy Burcher Prize, DipRAM
Highlights: Solo recital at the Wigmore Hall; leader of John Blow’s Venus and Adonis; top distinction in Final Recital
2012-2014
Royal Academy of Music - Masters in Violin
Professors: Maureen Smith, Elizabeth Wallfisch
Competitions and Prizes: John McAslan Prize, DipRAM
Masterclasses: Maxim Vengerov, Ruth Watermann
Highlights: Royal Academy of Music Sainsbury Soloists; collaboration with the Brodsky Quartet
Other
Violin studies with Peter Hanson
Improvisation with David Dolan, Tcha Limberger, Alan Bern and Ross Daly,
Transylvanian music with Marcel Ramba and Moldavian music with Marin Bunea
Klezmer music at Yiddish Summer Weimar (Cookie Segelstein, Alan Bern) and KlezKanada (Jake Shulman-Ment)
BA in Religion, Philosophy and Ethics from King's College London (2008-2011)
supported by
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