It has been said that between Judith Hall and Craig Ogden there is a natural affinity which makes their performances together quite exceptional. They have performed as far afield as the Bahamas and throughout Britain to great critical acclaim, including festivals such as Newbury Spring, Calstock, Ryedale, Little Biggar, Budleigh Salterton and Salisbury International Festival: after the latter, the Director Maria Bota reported 'great feedback from the audience, several of whom said it was the highlight of the Festival'.
Their programmes are lively and intriguing, mixing better-known music with contemporary and exotic pieces. A large repertoire includes arrangements of Bach and Baroque music and pieces from early nineteenth century Vienna by composers such as Giuliani. By contrast, there is a choice of music by Villa-Lobos, Rodrigo, Ravi Shankar, Takemitsu, Judith Weir, and the King of the Tango, Piazzolla.
Judith has also commissioned many new flute and guitar pieces with funding from the Arts Council, from composers David Bedford, Erica Fox, Edward Cowie, Giles Swayne and Jonathan Lloyd.
Australian-born guitarist Craig Ogden is one of the most exciting artists of his generation. He has recorded for Chandos Records, Nimbus, Virgin Classics, Hyperion, Collins Classics and Sony and has performed concertos with orchestras including the London Symphony, London Philharmonic, Royal Philharmonic, Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, City of Birmingham Symphony, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Bournemouth Symphony and Melbourne Symphony Orchestras. His debut solo recording of contemporary British works received wide acclaim and a Grammy nomination. His six Chandos releases of concertos and recital discs have received sparkling reviews from journals including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, Classic FM Magazine, American Record Guide and newspapers including The Guardian, Times, Daily Telegraph, Australian and the Scotsman.
Craig Ogden performs as soloist and chamber musician all over the world and often records for film: he was featured in the British hit, "Notting Hill". His most recent collaboration is with the American counter-tenor, David Daniels, with whom Ogden performed at the prestigious Tanglewood Festival and the Lincoln Center (New York) in Summer 2003. October 2003 saw Ogden make his Royal Albert Hall debut performing Rodrigo's Concierto de Aranjuez in a Classic FM Live concert. He is married to young British opera star Claire Bradshaw, and is also Senior Lecturer in Guitar at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester. Visit Craig's website