Our Violin Soloist

Seventeen-year-old violinist Yume Tomita is a grand prize winner of the “Il Piccolo Violino Magico” International Competition for Young Violinists in Italy. She is also a former prize winner at the Ilona Feher International Violin Competition in Hungary (1st prize), Andrea Postacchini International Violin Competition in Italy (2nd prize) and Grumiaux International Violin Competition in Belgium (3rd prize).

Yume was born in the UK in 2008 and began to play the violin when she was five years old. She was invited to give her first recital at the age of seven in Italy, and in the following year she was awarded a place at the Yehudi Menuhin School where she studied with Natasha Boyarsky, Diana Galvydyte and Ning Kam. Yume is currently studying with Dr. Robin Wilson. She has also received guidance from renowned violinists including Kolja Blacher, Zakhar Bron, Alina Ibragimova, Jonian Ilias Kadesha, Clara-Jumi Kang, Barnabás Kelemen, Katalin Kokas, Shlomo Mintz and Qian Zhou in various international masterclasses.

Yume’s concerto debut came in 2019 with Anima Musicae Chamber Orchestra in Budapest and her recent highlights include appearances at Cremona Mondomusica in Italy, numerous concerto engagements with Accademia d’Archi Arrigoni also in Italy and an appearance in Klassiek Leeft Festival in Belgium. The 2025 Spring/Summer season includes concerto performances with Marlborough Concert Orchestra (Tchaikovsky), Wimbledon Symphony Orchestra (Barber) and National Symphony Orchestra (Mozart Sinfonia Concertante). She is also a keen chamber musician and is one of the founding members of the all-violin group, QUADPHONICS which has just returned from its hugely successful tour in Japan. Yume has recorded Sarasate Navarra for 2 violins with her sister Coco Tomita and YMS Orchestra, and was also featured in Coco Tomita’s second album both released from Orchid Classics in 2024.

Yume performs regularly on a violin made for her in 2020 by Frédéric Chaudière of Montpellier. On a number of other occasions, she has also performed on fine Italian violins kindly loaned to her by a generous sponsor through the Beare’s International Violin Society and Florian Leonhard Fine Violins.

Our Principal Conductor

Dr Jonathan Williams is a renowned conductor, orchestrator, composer and musicologist. Recent highlights include standing in for Sir Simon Rattle, composing for a new Sony video game and the release of a CD with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. He is the director of the Rameau Project and is currently co-editing a volume on Rameau. He was appointed as the first director of College Music in 2006 at St Hilda's College Oxford.