President - His Serene Highness Dr Donatus, Prince of Hohenzollern
Matthew Taylor
Conductor Composer
Matthew was born in 1964 and won a Music Scholarship to Queens’ College Cambridge in 1983 were he studied with Robin Holloway and conducted the University Orchestras. He later studied with Leonard Bernstein and received tuition from George Hurst and Vilem Tausky. He also received special encouragement from Robert Simpson whose music and outlook became a crucial influence in these earlier years. The success of Matthew’s 1st Symphony (1985) which was performed several times by the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Bournemouth Sinfonietta led to a a continual stream of commissions and performances in the UK and abroad.
Matthew currently conducts and composes music for Farnham Sinfonia. He is a lecturer at Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey.
Read more about Matthew in this recently published article.
Sasha Parker - Associate Conductor
Sasha is a nineteen year-old violinist-conductor studying at the Royal College of Music under Lutsia and Alina Ibragimova, having previously studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School. Sasha is a prizewinner of many international competitions, including first prize at the WMSO Young Musician Concerto Competition and RCM Concerto Competition, second prize at the 44th Rodolfo Lipizer Competition in Gorizia and the Sevenoaks Young Musician of the Year Competition, and third prize at the Ilona Féher Violin Competition in Budapest.
As a conductor, Sasha was mentored by Matthew Taylor, and currently studies with Howard Williams and Toby Purser at the RCM. Since 2023, Sasha has maintained a close relationship with the Farnham Sinfonia, appearing frequently as both soloist and associate conductor.