Da Vinci Quartet

It is a pleasure to welcome the Da Vinci Quartet, led by accomplished violinist Iona Brown, to the Old Low Light for the first time and for the first music event of 2025.

The quartet, all members of the Royal Northern Sinfonia Orchestra (RNSO), perform regularly together. Iona Brown is currently a principal first violin with the RNSO which she joined in 1995, Jane Nossek is a sub-principal first violin, Michael Gerrard a section leader viola and Gabriel Waite, a sub-principal cello.

Quartet leader - Iona Brown

Iona’s early musical education was in Leicestershire where she was a member of the Leicestershire Schools Youth Orchestras. She won a scholarship to study at the Royal College of Music where she won three major violin prizes and several awards for chamber music.

In Manchester, she helped found Psappha, which helps composers at all stages of their careers, with whom she appeared live on Radio 3 and in various series nationwide. As a member of the Manchester Camerata, she performed regularly with their chamber ensemble and as soloist in Bach’s Concerto for 2 Violins.

In recent years she has featured as soloist, leader and chamber musician. She performs regularly with the Da Vinci String Quartet and has appeared alongside many eminent musicians.

She has also managed to find time to further her freelance career guesting as a principal player with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and guest principal second with the Hallé Orchestra. Iona has appeared as guest leader and soloist with Orchestra North-East. Iona has also appeared as soloist with the Charnwood Orchestra and has performed with the Cobweb, Tynedale and New Tyneside orchestras.

As well as private teaching, Iona is a principal tutor at the Centre for Advanced Training at the Glasshouse Gateshead, teaches for Durham University and has recently been appointed Head of Strings at Newcastle University.

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