First Violin (Leader)
Adopted by Andrew Hobson
Thelma Handy was appointed Joint Leader of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra in 2007 and has directed the Orchestra and appeared as soloist on many occasions.
Previously she toured worldwide as a member of the English Chamber Orchestra and worked extensively with the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields, the London Mozart Players and the London Symphony Orchestra. She has made guest appearances as Leader with many orchestras including the Hallé, BBC Philharmonic, Royal Scottish National, City of Birmingham Symphony, Manchester Camerata and the Real Filharmonía de Galicia. Recent solo performances include concertos by Glazunov, Sibelius, Bruch, Mendelssohn, Khachaturian, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, and Mozart’s Concerto No.5 with the Queensland Philharmonic Orchestra as part of an Australian tour.
She has worked in Japan with the Mito Chamber Orchestra and in France with the baroque chamber ensemble Orfeo 55. Thelma is in frequent demand as a chamber music collaborator, most recently giving concerts with Catrin Finch and Julian Rachlin, and has directed a Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra string ensemble in Mendelssohn’s Octet. She regularly plays in Ensemble 10:10, with whom she has premiered numerous new works and made several recordings, leading the group in performances nationwide including at Wigmore Hall and on BBC Radio 3.
Thelma co-founded the Wirral Chamber Music Festival in 2020 and is its Artistic Director. In 2017 she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Liverpool.
Fun Fact:
Away from music, Thelma is a qualified massage therapist and also a day skipper, meaning she can hire out any yacht up to around 32 feet!