People
Joanne Green
Violin
Founder, Breathe Music
​
Australian by birth, Joanne followed her dreams on the violin and at the age of 23 found herself in London at the Royal College of Music on a postgraduate scholarship.
Never heading home, she went on to find her musical home with the Scottish Ensemble, an organisation she has been a member of since 2003. The ensemble explores how music can be performed, shared and enjoyed by performers and audiences alike - with thought-provoking collaborations. The creative, innovative mindset generated by the group spills over into the rest of Joanne’s life, influencing how she approaches the rest of her portfolio career.
Joanne is passionate about sharing her music skills. She is a member of the Somerset Music Education Hub's advisory board, Deputy Chair of the European String Teachers Association UK (ESTA UK), and the founder of Breathe Music. She is currently a visiting music specialist at Wells Cathedral School and Kings Bruton School in Somerset and a tutor for the National Children's Orchestra (NCO).
​
Joely Koos
Cello, Pilates
Like Charlie, Joely dreamt of owning a chocolate factory as a child, but realised that her true love was the cello at the age of 9. Having musical parents was a bit like being in the circus and inevitably she was drawn into the family business!
​
Joely now pursues a varied musical career as an orchestral principal, chamber musician, and soloist. Performing as Principal with the English Symphony Orchestra, and co-principal with the City of London Sinfonia and the London Chamber Orchestra, she also plays as guest principal with several orchestras including London Sinfonietta, BBC National Orchestra of Wales and BBC Philharmonia. Joely also regularly records in the studio and won a Grammy for backing Amy Winehouse on “Rehab”.
​
Harriet studied the cello with Ioan Davies as a specialist music scholar at Wells Cathedral School and then with Raphael Wallfisch and Susan Sheppard at the Guildhall School of Music where she received a distinction for performance. She remained at the Guildhall for a chamber music fellowship with her ensemble The Burney Players with whom she won several awards, including second prize in the Van Wassanaer competition and a Deutsche Bank Pyramid award. The group was also ensemble in residence at the Handel House Museum for two years.
​
Harriet was principal cellist with the Southbank Sinfonia with whom she performed Walton’s cello concerto (conducted by Edward Gardner), gave the first public performance of a new work for solo cello by James Macmillan and chamber concerts at the Wigmore hall. She plays with many of the London based period instrument ensembles and modern orchestras, including the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. Her playing has taken her all over Europe and she has performed on several live broadcasts, including BBC Radio 3’s ‘In Tune’.
​
As a session musician, she has recorded with artists such as Sophie Ellis-Bexter, Paloma Faith and Florence and the Machine.
​
Harriet teaches the cello at Wells Cathedral School and Millfield and taught for several years at Godolphin and Latymer in London. She coaches the cello sections of the National Children’s Chamber Orchestra and South West Youth Orchestra. In addition, she writes reviews of cello music for Music Teacher magazine.
Harriet Wiltshire
Cello
Michael James
Co-Founder
Operations Manager
​
Originally a graduate in electronic engineering, Michael has had an arguably illustrious, though non-musical, career in aerospace software development and technology project management. Following an extended mid-career distraction as a bush pilot in British Columbia, resumption of a less dangerous vocation saw a return to technology in the domain of corporate cyber defence. Always a classical music enthusiast, a chance encounter led to a deeper than expected immersion into the world of live musical performance and the co-founding of Breathe Music.
​
