Leto Ensemble

Highlights
* One of Alive Network's top classical artists has produced a wonderfully elegant flute and clarinet duo
* Repertoire includes from classical favourites to popular tunes and Celtic, Irish and Welsh tunes
* Requests considered FREE of charge with at least 4 weeks' notice
* Available throughout England

Leto Ensemble are a colourful and versatile flute and clarinet duo that will provide a touch of sophistication to weddings, functions and corporate events. Classically trained, its musicians have performed in the U.K and abroad, in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, St Martin-in-the-Fields, the Barbican and the Royal Albert Hall. The Duo's wide repertoire, ranging from light classical to jazz, pop and west end musicals, together with its musical zeal and professionalism make it the perfect choice for every occasion.

BIOGRAPHIES

KLIO BLONZ ~ Flute
Klio began her studies in Greece. She continued with Catherine Cantin and Pierre Dumail at the Paul Dukas Conservatoire in Paris where she gained a Premier Prix at the U.C.E.M 92 flute competition. Meanwhile she completed an Aesthetics / Philosophy of Art Degree, at the Paris I - La Sorbonne University. She was then awarded a scholarship for Trinity College of Music where she successfully completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Performance and a Master in Music Degree in the classes of Alan Baker and Wissam Boustany.
Since the beginning of her career Klio has performed extensively both as a soloist and ensemble player in France, Greece, Bulgaria and the UK. She has appeared with numerous orchestras and ensembles such as the Wallace Ensemble, Classical Soloists, Haydn Chamber Orchestra, Orion Orchestra, Tempus Orchestra and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Denmark. Festival appearances include the Mayfield Festival collaborating with Theatre Alive! and theatre director Andrew Visnevski, the Festival of Dodekanison, Demetria Festival and the International Music Festival of Cyclades in Greece.

In 2006 she gave with Blaue Reiter Ensemble a first performance in Drill Hall, Lincoln, of Shoenberg’s masterpiece Pierrot Lunaire. More recently she has completed Glimpse of Japan, a series of concerts in the UK inspired by Japanese traditional and contemporary artforms.

Her special interest in contemporary music has led her to work with new composers and artists such as SPMN shortlisted composer Evelyn Ficcara and Japanese composer Yoko Kubo. She has thus commissioned and premiered works at the Queen Elizabeth Hall/Foyer, St John’s Smith Square, the Blackheath Halls, St James’s Piccadilly, St Martin-in-the-Fields, St John’s Smith Square and the Hellenic Centre in London. Future performances include concerts in the UK and Greece.

Klio also performs regularly with concert pianist Gareth Owen and has recently formed the very successful Persephone Duo with cellist Rebecca Hews represented by Alive Network.
As an educator Klio has been very busy for the past few years teaching the flute, leading workshops and coaching chamber music ensembles in the U.K. and abroad. Specialising in the early years music education she has worked extensively as a visiting musician in nurseries all around London as well as in organisations such as the National Maritime Museum in Greenwich. Klio is currently teaching at the Blackheath Conservatoire and leads educational projects at Trinity College of Music and the National Maritime Museum.

SHELLEY LEVY ~ Clarinet

Clarinettist, Shelley Levy, was born in Cape Town, South Africa. She studied at the University of Cape Town, graduating in 1992 with a performer’s diploma. She also studied at the Geneva Conservatoire graduating in 1996 with a Prix de Virtuosite (Premiere Prix). She then studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, London, graduating in 1997 with a Post Graduate Diploma in Orchestral Training. Her teachers have included Oliver de Groote, Walter Boeykens, Thomas Friedli, Joan Enric Lluna, Thea King and Michael Whight.

Shelley has been awarded various prizes. In 1991 she won the Oudemeester competition for wind instruments, the Natal 75th Anniversary Prize for Orchestral Instruments and the wind category of the ATKV Forte Competition in South Africa. In 1992, Shelley was awarded a Swiss government scholarship to study in Switzerland, In 1994 she was a finalist in the South African Broadcasting Corporation Of Music competition, and in 1997 a woodwind finalist in the Royal Overseas League Competition, London.

As a student, Shelley was principal clarinet of the South African National Youth Orchestra, the Rotterdam Conservatorium Symphony Orchestra, the Guildhall Symphony Orchestra, the Geneva Conservatoire Orchestra and the Young Musician Symphony Orchestra, UK.

As soloist, Shelley has performed the Mozart and Weber concerto’s no’s 1 and 2, as well as the Krommer double concerto with all the major Symphony orchestras in South Africa. She has also performed as soloist with the Geneva Conservatoire Orchestra, in Switzerland. As an orchestral player she has performed in the Cape Town Symphony orchestra, the Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, Brunel Ensemble, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra.

Shelley has received clarinet masterclasses from Antony Pay and Michael Collins. She has also received chamber music masterclasses from Maurice Borgue, Lamar Crowson and the Floristan Trio. She teaches the clarinet at the centre for young Musicians, and has also taught at the Blackheath conservatoire. She has also given lessons at the University of Newfoundland, in Canada.

She has performed numerous solo and chamber music concerts in South Africa, France, Germany, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Canada. In the UK she has appeared at various important venues including the Royal Albert Hall and the Barbican. She has performed all the major duo clarinet sonatas as well as chamber ensemble works by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Bruch, Poulenc and Stravinsky. She is a founding member of ‘Ensemble Hans Gál’.