Oliver Webber MA (Cantab)

Oliver Webber was born in 1969. His studies took him to Wells, Cambridge, London and The Hague, and he was taught by Mark Knight, Micaela Comberti and Ryo Terakado. In The Hague he was fortunate to meet many of the finest early music pioneers on many instruments, including the Kuijken family and members of Concerto Palatino, who had a great influence on his style and approach.

In his subsequent career he quickly established a reputation as one of the UK's leading interpreters of early music, from Renaissance improvisation to Romantic string quartets. He is the director of the Monteverdi String Band, specialising in the performance of early 17th-century Italian repertoire, and is the leader of the Greenwich Baroque Orchestra, Ludus 28 Baroque (Edinburgh) and Charivari Agréable Simfonie (Oxford). He is also a principal and guest leader with the Gabrieli Players, the London Handel Orchestra and the Hanover Band.

As a soloist Oliver has performed on violin, viola d'amore and violino piccolo at many major London venues, as well as festivals throughout Europe. In 2007 he was a featured soloist at the Festival Paganiniano di Carro, Italy, performing Vivaldi concertos.

Much in demand as a chamber musician, Oliver is a member of the Parley of Instruments and the London Handel Players, whose recent recordings for Somm have been described as "performances that are perfection itself, with a dazzling beauty of tone and of phrasing".

He lectures throughout Europe on various aspects of historical performance. Oliver is currently engaged in a project to re-create the Italian violin band of the 17th century in all its original glory.