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Belinda Sykes, raised on a pure diet of English folk song, is now
an international concert and recording soloist.
She studied voice and improvisation in Morocco, Bulgaria, Syria, Spain
and India; oboe with Anthony Camden, recorder with Peter Holtslag and baroque
oboe with David Reichenberg at the Guildhall School of Music; she has an MMUS
in Ethnomusicology/Arabic music from London University’s School of Oriental and
African Studies.
She has
recorded/sung solo with Red Byrd, New London Consort, Tragicomedia, Harp Consort,
Ensemble Unicorn and Oni Wytars. She has also sung on
numerous film/TV soundtracks with artists as diverse as Ladysmith Black Mambazo, The Berlin
Philharmonic Orchestra (soloist on the BBC's Planet Earth documentaries) and the Master Musicians of Joujouka, and most recently was heard on
television in The Last Enemy (Magnus
Fiennes), The Passion (Debbie
Wiseman), and Planet Earth (George Fenton). Belinda has
been a soloist on film scores by Karl Jenkins, George Fenton, Trevor Jones,
Howard Shore, Richard Harvey, Harry Gregson-Williams, Christian Henson, James
Horner, Adrian Johnston, Jocelyn Pook, Rob Lane, Graeme Revell, Gabriel Yared.
As a double-reed
player she has played for the Gabrieli
Consort, The English Concert, The King’s Consort, TheBBC Symphony Orchestra,
The Orchestra of The Age of Enlightenment, and The Hanover
Band, and won the 1990 Reichenberg Award for Baroque Oboe. As an oboist, she worked closely with Sir
Harrison Birtwistle when she played in his setting of Bacchai for oboe, clarinet and percussion at the Royal National
Theatre in 2002 (Sir Peter Hall’s production). Belinda was composer and musical
director for Richard III and Antony & Cleopatra at Shakespeare’s
Globe Theatre.
Belinda directs
the multi-cultural medieval music ensemble Joglaresa
with whom she has released CDs of medieval songs for Mary Magdalen - Magdalena (Avie AV0026), award-winning
programme of Hebrew/Arabic/Spanish music - Dreams of Andalusia (forthcoming with Metronome
Recordings), Medieval Songs from Italy -
Stella Nuova (Joglaresa Live JOG001),
and Sephardic Songs with percussionist Paul Clarvis - Ballads of Love and Betrayal (Village Life 01013VL). Joglaresa has
toured throughout Europe and the Middle East and has broadcast numerous
concerts for BBC Radio 3 and many other international radio stations.
Belinda is
Professor of Medieval Music at Trinity College of Music. She has also taught at the Royal Academy of
Music, Newcastle University, Exeter University and taught oboe and recorder for
many years at the Guildhall School of Music’s Junior Department.
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