David Powell is sub-principal cellist with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and for three decades has worked with many of the world's leading conductors and soloists. He has taught at the University of Nottingham for the past eight years, a city in which he grew up, and he includes Jacqueline du Pre, David Strange and Bernard Greenhouse ( ex-Beaux Arts Trio) as his teachers.
As a chamber musician David has performed at many festivals and Midland venues with the Montpellier String Trio, his cello and harp duo "51 Strings", and Trio Severn and he appears regularly in CBSO's Centre Stage series of chamber music concerts. He has served as Chair of the CBSO Benevolent Fund, is a trustee of the Cotswold Suzuki Violin Group and has coached the CBSO Youth Orchestra, the National Youth Orchestra and the National Schools Symphony Orchestra.

Harpist Katherine Thomas is in great demand as an orchestral player and soloist throughout the United Kingdom. Now living in Abergavenny, South Wales, she is Associate Principal Harp with the Orchestra of Welsh National Opera (WNO) and having worked with the company for a number of years, she has accompanied many great singers including - Bryn Terfel, Lesley Garret, Jose Carreras and Rolando Villazon. With her roots lying firmly in Wales, she has won many competitions including the Blue Riband at the National Eisteddford, and the first prize at the world Harp Festival (Cardiff, 1992). With the aid of the Scholarships from the Welsh Arts Council she studied at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, London and from 1995-1999 she attended the Aspen Music Festival, USA - studying harp with Nancy Allen as well as performing with many eminent musicians and broadcasting on national television. Having returned to her native country, Katherine has performed throughout the UK and abroad working with orchestras such as the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), the London Symphony Orchestra, the Scottish Chamber Orchestra and theGothenburg Opera Company.

As a soloist she is in great demand. She has performed Mozart's Flute and Harp Concerto with WNO/Carlo Rizzi at St David's Hall, Cardiff, as well as performing the work throughout the Midlands with the Orchestra of the Swan (with whom she is also Principal Harp). Katherine frequently collaborates with other artists in various ensembles. She performs regularly with CBSO cellist David Powell with whom she formed '51 Strings' and Katherine also plays in the Wonnastow Trio - alongside violinists Laurence Kempton and Gillian Bradley.

Although classically trained, Katherine enjoys performing a wide variety of music and the harp has taken Katherine around the world entertaining audiences. Touring extensively through all four countries of the United Kingdom she has played to audiences ranging from an intimate audience of 10 to an arena of 10,000! Internationally, she has toured countries including France, Germany, Italy, Portugal, Estonia and Norway as well as further afield to the USA, Japan and Hong-Kong. The different genres of music that Katherine plays are represented in her recording catalogue. Alongside the classical recordings of Sir Simon Rattle, Carlo Rizzi and Bryn Terfel, Katherine can be heard playing folk music with clarinettist Lesley Craven (Impressions) as well as playing on the acoustic sets of the Welsh band Manic Street Preachers (Journal for Plague Lovers). Katherine has also released her first cd - SOLO.

Now an active teacher back home in Wales, Katherine draws on her own experiences whilst teaching. She teaches a variety of ages - from 6 to 80 as well as teaching on a variety of harps - including the pedal, celtic and triple harps. The aim of Katherine's lessons is to make music enjoyable whilst maintaining a high technical standard. As well as teaching modules at the Birmingham Conservatoire, Katherine teaches the harp at the Junior & Access Department of the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, Cardiff. From September 2012, Katherine will also be teaching the harp at Christ College, Brecon. Through her experience as a teacher, Katherine has also published several books for the harp (solos, ensembles and technical books) with publishing company ALAW.