Sarah Bevan-Baker, Violin

“Joining COE was undoubtedly the most influential thing I did as a young musician. It was a wonderful opportunity straight from college and study. We were all at the same stage and felt the exciting potential and the collective buzz and energy.
We learnt from so many great musicians, most profoundly for me Claudio Abbado and Nikolaus Harnoncourt. Abbado enabled me to leave behind the careful conservatoire mentality and find freedom and spontaneity in performance which was so liberating. Harnoncourt gave me the courage and passion to explore and develop a nascent interest in historical performance which has become such an important and fulfilling part of my playing career.
There have been so many profound and memorable performances and recordings with COE which will always remain benchmarks for me. It is a huge privilege to have been part of it.”

BIOGRAPHY

Scottish violinist Sarah studied at the Royal College of Music and after graduating in 1983 joined COE. She was a member for five years before leaving to join the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. She has enjoyed a varied freelance career of orchestral playing and chamber music and is a member of the contemporary music group Hebrides Ensemble. She has a special interest in early music and is a member of Dunedin Consort.