About the Allestri String Quartet

A versatile group of classically trained musicians

Allestri improvise a suitable playing area at a church in the Borders
(Photograph by Team Thomson Photography  www.teamthomson.com)

The Allestri Ensemble are a versatile and stylish group available to play for all kinds of occasion and specialising in providing music for wedding ceremonies and receptions. We are able to offer our services as as a String Quartet, String Trio, Flute Quartet, Flute Trio or String Duo with Scottish Harp. Please see our Available Ensembles page for further details.


At the core of the ensemble are Edinburgh based husband and wife team, Caroline and Julian Marshall, playing violin and viola and founding violinist Morag Swietlicki.  We are augmented from a small pool of other professional players, including our daughter Zoe when she is not studying at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Our repertoire is both extensive and varied, encompassing Baroque, Classical, Romantic, Light Classical, Ragtime, American Songbook, Film & Musical, Folksongs, Pop and nearly thirty Bollywood songs.  Many of our arrangements for both quartet and trio are unique to the Allestri Ensemble.  The Allestri Ensemble began life in 2006, and while most of our engagements since then have been for weddings, we have also provided music for :-



Caroline Marshall (violin & harp)

graduated from the Royal Academy of Music in London, and has played violin with Scottish Ballet for more than 25 years. She has also played with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Esterhazy Chamber Orchestra, and was a member of the Esterhazy Quartet in London for 6 years. Highlights with the Esterhazy Quartet included playing aboard the QE2, at the Cannes Film Festival and at the Chelsea Arts Ball.  While living in London, Caroline was also principal 2nd Violin with the D’Oyly Carte Opera Company for several years during which time she played all of the Gilbert & Sullivan operettas including a private performance at Windsor Castle for the Queen.  She also played regularly in many West End shows including Sweeney Todd, Phantom of the Opera, Annie, Oklahoma and Carousel.


Morag Swietlicki (violin)

is the original founder and leader of the Allestri Quartet.  She graduated from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music & Drama with a BA in Music Performance and a Postgraduate Certificate in Orchestral Studies, following which she gained a diploma in Orchestral Studies from the National Centre of Orchestral Studies, London.  Morag has played with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Ballet and the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra.  She has played as part of the orchestra for international soloists such as Jose Carreras, Maxim Vengerov , Paul Tortelier, and Lesley Garrett, and as a change from the classical world  has also toured with Led Zeppelin. 


Fiona Chisholm (flute)

trained at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama in Glasgow where she won both the Flute prize and the Governors' Recital prize, and is currently principal piccolo with Scottish Ballet. She maintains a successful freelance career in Scotland, and has played with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Scottish Chamber Orchestra and Scottish Opera, and is also a founder member of the Flaxton Ensemble (Wind Quintet).


Julian Marshall (viola and arranger)

read music at Cambridge University, and following this studied viola at the National Centre for Orchestral Studies in London. He then held full-time playing positions with the Opera and Symphony Orchestras in Palermo, Sicily and with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. He has written several original compositions for the Allestri Quartet and also many commissioned arrangements ranging from Iron Maiden (!) and Bollywood to string quartet accompaniments for Mozart and Puccini arias.


Zoe Marshall (cello)

is currently in her 3rd year at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London having won a scholarship to study there in 2007.  Zoe plays with Allestri London during term time and with us in Scotland during the summer, at Easter and at Christmas. Before going to RAM she played with both the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.


All of our other players are drawn from the Scottish professional free-lance scene, playing regularly for a number of the professional orchestras in Scotland, including Scottish Ballet, the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.



Venues

The Allestri have played at many of the top hotels and venues in Scotland including :-


Photograph by Team Thomson Photography