Mr McFall's

Personnel

Greg Lawson comes from County Durham. His family background is a most unusual mix - part German Jewish, part traditional Durham mining stock (His father, Fenwick Lawson, is a sculptor, whose work can be seen, for example, at Durham cathedral). Growing up with the folk music of his native Durham, playing a variety of folk instruments, including the Northumbrian pipes, he nevertheless- and here's where the Jewish bit comes in - had a natural flair for the violin, which took him to the Royal Northern College in Manchester, where he won all sorts of prizes, and to a career as a classical musician. At the same time his broad, but intense, musical interests, combined with a natural restlessness, have led him into such areas as tango, klezmer (with Moishe’s Bagel) and, of course, Mr McFall's Chamber.

Greg's playing is characterised by intensity and a tone which sings every inch of the way. As a person he can be explosive,- maybe "volatile" would sound better- but tremendously warmhearted. He lives in Glasgow with his girlfriend, Fiona, also a fine violinist, his son, Fen, and his stepdaughter, Rebecca.

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ROBERT McFALL 2nd violin

Robert McFall is really the founder of the group, its main administrator and arranger, as well as its 2^nd violinist. From a public school/Oxbridge background, Robert is one of the few remaining speakers of 1950's received pronunciation, a source of amusement within the group. He has been working as an orchestral violinist for twenty years, an experience which finally drove him to the iconoclasm of Mr McFall's Chamber. Having spent many late evenings waiting in smoke-filled Edinburgh nightclubs to help his teenage sons safely home with their heavy equipment from gigs, he finally felt like a piece of the action himself, and formed Mr McFall's Chamber specifically to perform in such venues. This led to the search for and the creation of a repertoire suitable for such occasions, which in turn led him into arranging, composing, not to mention word-processing, personnel management, stage-setting, and a host of other previously undreamed-of skills.

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BRIAN SCHIELE viola

Brian Schiele was born and spent the first 9 years of his life in Argentina, where he still has many relatives. Although his subsequent upbringing in England has somewhat obscured his origins, he maintains a strong sense of Argentine identity. This only shows itself to others in the way that Brian seems to take up more space than other people- and in his dependence on mate tea. Brian has been a member of a number of chamber music groups, including the Auriol Quartet for a number of years. Along with Robert, Greg and Su-a, he is a member of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. He lives with his "girls", Rebecca, his wife, and Hannah and Flora, his daughters.

Brian has written original compositions and some arrangements of tango numbers for the group.

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SU-A L Su-a Lee EE cello

Although born in Korea, Su-a was brought up almost entirely in England, where she and her two sisters grew up to be talented musicians. In 1988 she won a scholarship to study with Harvey Shapiro at the Juillard School of music in New York.

Returning to London in 1992, she spent a year freelancing. During this period, amongst other things, she toured with Jamiroquai, appearing with them at the Glastonbury Festival. In 1993, she took up a position in the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.

Su-a sleeps very little. As well as her frenetic social life, she practices martial arts, and attends a number of evening classes, which, as you can imagine, requires some determination when she is, as a musician, so often working in the evenings. These include silver jewellery making and woodwork. Using these and other craft skills, she creates startlingly original birthday presents. Such things engage her. Music carries her on its current. She is the member of the group whom audiences watch.

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RICK STANDLEY double bass / bass guitar Rick Standley

Rick Standley has been working as a jazz bass player and bass guitarist from the age of 17. At the same time, he has combined this with a career as a classical double bassist. The classical career happens, generally, during the day and early evening, the jazz during the night. He lives in North Ayrshire with his girlfriend Emma and son Joe. He works as a free-lances double bassist with various orchestras and is principal bass with the orchestra of Scottish Ballet.

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GRAEME MCNAUGHT piano

was born in Motherwell. In 1986 he was unanimous winner of the first Scottish Piano Competition and prizewinner in the Casagrande International Competition in Italy. He has performed as a soloist and in ensemble with a wide range of artists throughout the UK and in Europe and the Far East. His involvement with the award-winning Chamber Group of Scotland since its inception in 1991 reflects his commitment to the work of living composers which exists alongside an empathy with the Romantic era for which he has always been known.

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