Kirsten Wilson – Violin
Trio Taliesin take their name from Celtic mythology: Taliesin was a renowned bard who entertained at the courts of the Brythonic kings. The trio formed in 2017 with the aim of engaging audiences in piano trio repertoire through collaborative performances and programming that link works with an underlying narrative. They have given concerts in London, Oxford, Sedbergh and Llanidloes, collaborated on performances with actress Holly Walters, and performed Beethoven’s Triple Concerto with the Cobweb Orchestra.
Tara Clifford – Piano
Tara leads a busy and varied life as a pianist and performing arts educator in London. Having started out her career as a solo pianist, Tara now works more regularly on collaborative projects, be this playing with other musicians or contributing to interdisciplinary pieces. Tara has performed extensively in the UK and abroad, including venues such as the National Portrait Gallery, The National Gallery (Dublin), the Purcell Room and St John’s Smith Square. In addition to playing with Trio Taliesin, other recent projects include recordings for Cavendish Music including a Chopin Solo Piano album, and ongoing collaborative work with composer Katherine Gillham. Plans are also underway with illustrator Emma Bayfield, who created the artwork for Tara’s recording of Debussy Children’s Corner Suite, to create and publish a musical children’s book together.
As an educator Tara teaches piano and delivers music and performing arts workshops in schools and community settings across London. This has led to work with organisations such Wigmore Hall Learning, Artis Education, RCM Sparks and Westminster Music Library.
Tara holds a Masters in Advanced Performance from the Royal College of Music (2010), a Postgraduate Diploma in Performing Arts Leadership from the Royal Northern College of Music (2015) and a 1st class honours degree in music from the University of Manchester (2007). She studied under Gordon Fergus-Thompson (RCM), John Gough (University of Manchester) and Lidia Amorelli (London) and gained scholarships and awards at both Manchester and RCM.
Kirsten Wilson – Violin
Kirsten started playing violin at the age of 7. She was a music scholar at Headington girls’ school, and attended the Royal College of Music Junior Department, before winning a scholarship to the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied with Yossi Zivoni and Ben Holland. She then went back to the Royal College of Music for her post-graduate studies, studying with Rodney Friend. Kirsten has played in many professional orchestras including the BBC Philharmonic and orchestras for various film soundtracks. In addition to her orchestral playing she regularly performs with the Barber String Quartet. As well as her busy performing schedule she teaches at Sutton high school and Fulham Prep School. She has also taught at the Royal Academy of Music Junior Department.
Alice Jones – Cello
Alice Jones studied Music at Dartington College of Arts, graduating in 2006 with a 1st class honours degree. She went on to study at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance on Pearson and TCM scholarships, graduating with a Music Performance Masters in 2011.
Alice has played recital concerts and concerti around the UK and abroad. She has worked extensively with the Cobweb Orchestra covering repertoire such as Dvořák’s Cello Concerto (Sage, Gateshead, 2013), Haydn’s Cello Concerto in C (Tuscany 2014) and Elgar’s Cello Concerto (Alnwick 2010 & Sedbergh 2018). In 2013-14 she performed and recorded a Cello Concertino written for her by the composer, John Hawkes. In addition to her work as a soloist, Alice has performed with various ensembles including the English Fayre Quartet (around the UK, Norway and Iceland) and the Evelina De Lain Trio (UK and the Maldives).
Alice teaches a wide range of cello students privately and in schools around London. She is a cello and Early Years music teacher at Junior Trinity. In 2017 she qualified as a Dalcroze practitioner.