Tutors

This page lists Tutors for Variations 2025

The Edinburgh Quartet

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The Edinburgh Quartet has long been celebrated as one of Britain’s foremost chamber ensembles, having appeared regularly at prestigious venues across the UK and toured extensively across Europe, the Far and Middle East, and North and South America.

Visit our dedicated Edinburgh Quartet page for more detailed information and individual artist biographies.

Rosie Staniforth, oboe

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Rosie grew up in Yorkshire and began playing the oboe at the age of nine. She studied Modern Languages at Oxford University before winning a postgraduate scholarship to the Royal College of Music, where she was a pupil of Michael Winfield and John Anderson. She won various RCM oboe prizes and gave the London premiere of the Horowitz Oboe Concerto.

She subsequently won a scholarship to the Geneva Conservatoire to study with Maurice Bourgue, her musical idol! Rosie graduated with a distinction and won a place on the prestigious “Troisieme Cycle” course at the Paris Conservative, where she able to further hone her skills with the same mentor.

Whilst still a student Rosie was offered the position of Sub-Principal Oboe with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, a post which she retained for 21 years. During this period, she also freelanced as Principal Oboe both locally-with the RSNO, BBCSSO, Scottish Opera and Scottish Ballet- and nationally, with orchestras such as The Philharmonia, The Halle, Northern Sinfonia and BBC National Orchestra of Wales. She taught for at The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland for sixteen years and tutored the oboe section of The National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.

She has enjoyed many opportunities to work as a soloist, performing concertos by Strauss, Vaughan Williams, Bach, Mozart and Macmillan amongst others. Rosie loves playing chamber music, although is not a big fan of the wind quintet!

As a devotee of opera, Rosie was thrilled to be offered her dream job as Co-Principal Oboe with the English National Opera in 2019. In 2024 she was promoted to Section Principal and is regularly invited to play as Guest Principal with The London Symphony Orchestra, The Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, The BBC Concert Orchestra and The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, amongst others.

She enjoys giving masterclasses and examining at the London colleges and still manages the odd foreign tour with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Mahler Chamber Orchestra.

Rosie now lives between London and the Cotswolds, where she enjoys rambling, horse-riding and feeding the local sheep!

Philip Burrin, violin

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Philip’s first musical experiences were with St Swithun’s Church choir in his home town of East Grinstead Sussex England after which he started the violin at Lancing College with Ernest Barr. He attended the Royal College of Music, London in 1972 studying Violin with Jaroslav Vanecek and John Ludlow and Viola with John Dyer. There he joined the Heller String Quartet in 1975 which went to Bermuda in 1976 as the first Quartet of the Menuhin Foundation. He was also conductor of the Bermuda National Youth Orchestra.

In 1982 Philip returned to England and worked as Head of strings at Westminster School, London. The following year he was appointed Principal Second Violin of BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra based in Glasgow. The Orchestra went on numerous tours to Holland, Germany, Poland, Canada, Italy and Switzerland. During that time he also taught at the RSAMD (now Royal Conservatoire of Scotland) Junior Department. He became the Second Violinist of the Edinburgh Quartet in 1998. As well as touring UK and abroad, the Quartet had residencies at Napier and Aberdeen Universities.

Philip has coached orchestral and chamber music extensively over many years at National Youth Orchestra of Scotland courses, Strings and Wind course at Mar Lodge in Aberdeenshire, Durham University Symphony Orchestra and Variations Ullapool. In March 2013 he retired from the Edinburgh Quartet to concentrate on teaching.

Philip moved to Berlin in the summer of 2014 , where for five years he taught English at a Berlin Language School and privately, and also had a few violin pupils. In February 2016 he returned to Bermuda to conduct two concerts in the Bermuda Festival to commemorate Menuhin’s Centenary and the 40th anniversary of the Menuhin Foundation.

During this time Philip stopped playing violin because of arthritis and, since his official retirement in 2020, has enjoyed some piano playing and more composing.

Claire Wickes, flute

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One of Britain’s leading flautists, Claire Wickes was appointed as Principal Flute of the English National Opera Orchestra in 2015 shortly after graduating from the Royal College of Music. She is in demand as guest principal flute of all major London orchestras, including the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia and Aurora Orchestra. As a recording artist Claire often appears as a featured artist on albums as well as film soundtracks, and performs regularly on broadcasts for tv, radio and live cinema screenings.

Claire read music at Brasenose College, Oxford, where she held an academic scholarship and graduated with first-class honours. She subsequently completed her Masters degree at the Royal College of Music; she now returns to the RCM to coach, adjudicate and lead classes. Claire is also featured in video tutorials on Principal Chairs, and teaches privately both in person and online.

Claire achieved international competition success as a prizewinner at the Aeolus Competition, and appears frequently as a concerto soloist in Germany and the UK. As a chamber musician she frequently performs alongside internationally acclaimed artists at chamber music festivals. Alongside harpist Tomos Xerri, Claire performs in Siren duo. With a focus on exploring beyond the conventional flute and harp repertoire, Siren both collaborate with composers and make their own arrangements.

Claire also composes and produces her own music, and received the award for ‘Best Original Score’ at the Director’s Choice fan film awards. In her role in an ongoing theatrical Carnival of the Animals project with Aurora Orchestra, Claire can regularly be found playing the flute whilst being ‘flown’ acrobatically across the stage, honing her skills in the niche field of upside-down flute performance.