Sydney Humphreys

Sydney Humphreys

Sydney (Ernest) Humphreys. Violinist, teacher, born Chilliwack, near Vancouver, 26 Sep 1926; FRAM 1960, MA (Newcastle) 1969. He studied violin with Gregori Garbovitsky in Vancouver, Kathleen Parlow in Toronto, Thomas Matthews and Frederick Grinke at the RAM, London, and Georges Enesco in Paris. He was the leader 1952-70 of the Aeolian String Quartet of London, which toured internationally, recorded, and broadcast on the BBC and the CBC. He was a member 1954-65 of the St Cecilia Trio, concertmaster of the Bath Festival Orchestra under Sir Yehudi Menuhin, and a soloist with several BBC orchestras. He was concertmaster 1972-4 of the BBC Scottish Orchestra and 1974-5 of the Bournemouth Sinfonietta, and 1975-6 of the Victoria Symphony Orchestra. He was head of the string department 1970-2 at the Victoria Conservatory of Music and resumed that position in 1975 until his retirement in 2001. He gave many concerts with the Trio Victoria with Robin Wood, piano and Jim Hunter, cello, including broadcasts on the CBC Sunday afternoon series "Music to See." He was first violin in the Purcell String Quartet 1979-87.

Humphreys rejoined the Victoria Symphony Orchestra as concertmaster for the 1991-92 season. He also served as concertmaster in a special benefit concert featuring his student Jonathan Crow as soloist, conducted by Menuhin. Other violinists who have studied with Humphreys include Nikki Chooi, Gwen Hoebig, and Emlyn Ngai.

Selected Discography

Ancora - Simpson Symphony #3, Clarinet quintet. 2006. NMC 109

Baroque Favourites. Academy of St Martin in the Fields. 1993. EMI Classics 4557

Mozart Clarinet Quintet. Thea King, Sydney Humphreys. 1994. Saga Classics

Alan Rawsthorne, Lennox Berkley, Alan Bush. Aeolian Quartet. 2008. Lyrita 256