On leaving the Academy she became Leader of English Touring Opera, but soon made the decision to dedicate herself to chamber music, leading the Schubert Ensemble and then co-founding and leading the Brindisi Quartet for fifteen years.

She has appeared as guest leader with many groups including the Nash Ensemble, London Sinfonietta, Composers’ Ensemble, Scottish Chamber Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. She was appointed leader of Britten Sinfonia in 2005. In 2013 she additionally became leader of the Red Note Ensemble, a contemporary music group in Glasgow.

In 2011 she took a year away to explore other musical pathways, which resulted in Postcards from Home, a world music/jazz CD in collaboration with Kuljit Bhamra (tabla) and John Parricelli (guitar). She also presented a complete Beethoven string quartet cycle on the Hebridean island of Harris, and gave a free improvisation concert in a cave on Hestur, in the North Atlantic Faroe Islands.

Jacqueline plays on a Nicola Amati violin, from 1672.

She also performs solo recitals, and enjoys playing chamber music in any kind of small ensemble. She works regularly with pianist Scott Mitchell, and in a trio with harpist Sharron Griffiths and violist Scott Dickinson. She has appeared regularly at festivals all over the UK and Europe, and has recorded for Delphian, Mode, Metier and 7hings.

Ruth was for many years a player and co-artistic director of The Scottish Flute Trio.  The trio commissioned many new works from composers such as Thea Musgrave, Edward McGuire, Sally Beamish, Gordon McPherson, Joji Hirota, Robert Dick and David Fennessy.
She has worked with a wide range of ensembles including the Edinburgh Quartet, Hebrides Ensemble, Scottish National Jazz Orchestra, and as a soloist with London Concertante.  She has been on stage with theatre companies such as Dundee Rep and Theatre Cryptic and appeared at Counterflows Festival with experimental harpist Zeena Parkins. She appears regularly on Radio 3 and Radio Scotland, and has performed live as a featured solo artist for Classic FM.

Teaching is a big part of Ruth’s life, and she has seen many successful students go into the profession. Alongside her work at RCS, Ruth enjoys teaching master classes and workshops around the UK and in Europe. She also teaches students at Glasgow University and is the founder of the Scottish International Flute Summer School which she directed for 20 years. She is in demand as a private teacher, and has taught many successful students at every stage of their musical training.

Ruth is a regular coach for NYOS courses, delivers CPD for instrumental teachers, and for many years was on the staff for Douglas Academy Music School.

As well as teaching flute players, and coaching chamber groups and ensembles, Ruth also enjoys working with composers to help them to develop their writing. She has taken part in many composers’ workshops, working at all levels from first time composers at school, through to young professional composers at the start of their careers. Recent composers’ workshops have been with RNCM, RCS, Glasgow University and Sound Scotland.

Ruth’s training was with David Nicholson at RSAMD, and then as a Wingate Scholar with Peter Lloyd at the Royal Northern College of Music. She also studied privately with Colin Lilley and Wissam Boustany. Prizes and awards include: Soroptomist International Society Bursary for young musicians, Prize winner in RSAMD chamber music and woodwind competitions, Sir James Caird Travelling Scholarship, Bromsgrove Festival Young Musicians Platform, AT&T Istel Awards, Tunnell Trust, Manchester Mid Day Music Society recital prize, Hattori Foundation award winner and Wingate Scholarship for postgraduate study at RNCM.

Composition is a recent addition to Ruth’s work, and her music is published by Tetractys.

Tom Hankey (violin) lstudied the violin with David Takeno, Krzyzstof Smietana, Levon Chilingirian and Yossi Zivoni. He studied at the Purcell School, the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama and the Royal College of Music.

Tom is a member (as violinist and violist) of the Aronowitz Ensemble. The group took part in the Radio 3 New Generation Artist Scheme which involved frequent performances on the radio – live and pre- recorded from venues throughout the UK, such as Wigmore Hall, The Sage (Newcastle), Bridgewater Hall and the Bath, Cheltenham, Aldeburgh, Kings Place, Spoleto Festival and City of London Festivals. In September 2008 the group performed in the proms chamber concert series. The Borletti-Buitoni Trust award enabled them to release two CDs on the Sonimage label.

Tom was a founding member of Ensemble Na Mara – a piano quartet and string trio. The group won the 2006 Royal Over-Seas league ensemble prize, the Tunnel prize and a Kirkman prize.

He is currently principal clarinet of the London Mozart Players and performs regularly as guest principal with many orchestras and ensembles such as BBC NOW, London Sinfonietta, Red Note Ensemble and the newly formed Knussen Chamber Ensemble.

Timothy conducts termly concerts with the New Perspectives Ensemble at the Royal College of Music, specialising in performing music by living composers. He has also conducted the RCM Chamber, Philharmonic and Symphony orchestras.

He is a clarinet coach for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and took the role of assistant conductor with them during their Spring 2019 course.

He has been a clarinet professor at the Royal College of Music since 1998 and he was appointed a Fellow there in 2016.

From 1999 to 2003, Timothy was principal clarinet of the London Symphony Orchestra, becoming chairman of the orchestra during his last year there. From from 2004 to 2005 he was section leader clarinet of the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra.

He was principal clarinet of the English Baroque Soloists and the Orchestre Revolutionaire et Romantique from 2003 until 2023, performing on period instruments.

Tom is percussionist for Red Note Ensemble specialising in contemporary music. Giving solo and chamber music performances in concerts, collaborations, international tours and recordings.

In his orchestral career Tom performs regularly with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Scottish Chamber Orchestra on timpani and percussion. He has also worked with many of the UK’s leading orchestras including Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and BBC Philharmonic Orchestra. Tom was appointed Assistant Principal Timpanist 2005-2009 with the Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Norway and was a founder member of the Bergen Pipe Band, training up their first drum corps.

Tom graduated from RSAMD in 2002, where he won the Governors’ Recital Prize for Percussion and performed in the BBC Young Musician of the Year 2000 percussion final.

Tom is a percussion tutor at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland as well as at St Mary’s Music School.