1st violin Nic Fallowfield has extensive experience as violinist, conductor and teacher. He was co-leader of Sinfonia ViVA from 1987, the year he left his position of co-principal 1st violin in the Northern Sinfonia, until 2019. During his time in Newcastle he was 1st violin of the Bridge String Quartet which performed on Tyne Tees TV, and of Terzetto, a string trio which recorded for BBC Radio 3.
From 1987 to 1991, Nic was co-leader of the English String Orchestra and was leader of Orchestra of the Swan in its early years. He has been a soloist in concertos of Mozart and Bach, and in double concertos of Schnittke and Arnold. He has been guest leader of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, Ulster Orchestra and Manchester Camerata among others. Nic was regularly called upon to lead sinfonia ViVA and has also conducted the orchestra on several occasions. Playing has taken him on tour throughout Europe, North and South America and Japan, and he features on countless recordings. In the 1990’s Nic was 1st violin of the Delcini String Quartet which played at music societies throughout Britain.
Nic is very fortunate to have been introduced to chamber music by his first violin teacher Anne Macnaghten, 1st violin of the Macnaghten Quartet and co-founder of the original MacNaghten Concerts. He went on to study with the great Hungarian pedagogue Bela Katona.
For nearly thirty years, until leaving in 2019 in order to devote more time to the Tedesca Quartet and to conducting, Nic was a highly respected and much sought-after teacher at what is now the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire.
