Sophie Genevieve Lowe
Violin, Viola
Sophie Genevieve Lowe is a captivating baroque and modern violinist who is originally from the prairies of South Dakota. Praised for her “unique style and confident voice,” (Margaret Faultless, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment) Sophie studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London in historical performance with Matthew Truscott. In 2021, Sophie was awarded as an Emerging Professional Leader by Early Music America. Sophie’s solo performances include a concert at the Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelle (Brussels, Belgium), a four-violin concerto solo with Laurence Cummings at the Duke’s Hall (London), and a concerto on a Landolfi violin on loan from the National Music Museum (South Dakota). Sophie has appeared on a variety concert stages, including the Royal Festival Hall Wigmore Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields (London), Palais des Beaux-Arts de Bruxelles (Brussels, Belgium), Holland Performing Arts Center (Omaha), le Salle Françoys-Bernier (Québec), Kennedy Center, National Cathedral (Washington D.C.) and Bruton Parish (Colonial Williamsburg). In London, she was part of the celebrated Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata Series, which was highly reviewed by the London Times. She has appeared live on the radio internationally, including on the BBC (UK) and on KVNO (Omaha). In addition to her UK studies, Sophie studied at the Starling-Delay Symposium at the Juilliard School of Music in NYC and l’Académie du Domaine Forget in Québec, Canada. Sophie currently performs with the Washington Bach Consort (Washington, D.C.) and the American Baroque Orchestra (New Haven, CT) on her violin from 1770. As a teacher Sophie’s students have a 100 percent pass rate in ABRSM exams and have won numerous competitions and orchestral positions around the globe. Sophie is also an avid researcher of early American music, you can see her latest publications here: John Antes, Rayner Taylor, Occramer Marycoo.
Ryan Lowe
Cello, Double Bass
Originally from Wales, Ryan recently relocated to the US from London, after graduating with honors from the Trinity Conservatoire of Music. Ryan studied under Naomi Butterworth and as a result he is part of a direct pedagogical line to the father of modern cello playing, Pablo Casals. Ryan has performed extensively in the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia, and the United States. Ryan was recently selected from among his international peers to perform for Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II in a performance that would later feature on ITV television in the UK. Ryan has performed at a variety of international venues such as The Kennedy Center, Carnegie Hall (USA), the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall and the Royal Festival Hall (UK), St. Mary’s Basilica (Poland) and the Hangzhou Grand Theatre (China). He has also been a member of the cello sections of the Orion Orchestra, the London Arte Chamber Orchestra and the Washington Sinfonietta. As a coach Ryan has been involved with the Royal Academy of Music Historical Performance Orchestra, the Trinity Laban Symphony Orchestra (UK), and the Guangxi Symphony Orchestra in China. Besides classical music, Ryan has also been featured in numerous musical collaborations with art galleries, dancers and pop artists. Ryan has premiered and recorded new works by contemporary composers including a solo concerto with the Trinity Symphony Orchestra in London. He also functions as a chamber music coach with many successful ensembles performing in the United States premier concert halls. Ryan’s most recent education projects have included coaching for the Strathmore Hall Foundation and leading master classes, seminars and performances in New York City. Most recently Ryan has been playing with Three Notch’d Road, working for the College of William and Mary and UVA as a cellist, playing as a soloist in the Bruton Parish candlelight series as a part of the Caerleon Camerata (a concert series that dates back to the 1700’s), and has been sought out to join the faculty at the Levine School of Music, Washington DC’s most prestigious music school. Ryan is also the cellist in residence for the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation’s performing arts center. Furthermore Ryan has recently released two new music publications through publishers Hal Leonard and his students continue to enjoy a 100% pass rate in ABRSM exams. You can read more about Ryan online in both the Baltimore Sun and WY Daily.
“I am an adult learner of cello. Ryan has been teaching me for about 8 years now both in person and on Facetime. Ryan helped me to start my return journey to playing the cello after a gap of about 30 years. I wanted to start to play again after I retired and Ryan was the perfect teacher for me. He has always been a patient and competent teacher, even when he may have needed earplugs! He has brought me from forgetting how to read music to playing in two orchestras and learning difficult pieces i.e. Haydn Cello Concerto and the Bach Suites. He is always upbeat about our lessons and that is why I have continued to have them for so long. I have learned a huge amount from Ryan and he always tells brilliant stories about the music and how to interpret it. I would highly recommend Ryan as a cello teacher, his patience knows no bounds.”
— Doreen Titmuss