About the performers . . .

David Munn was born in Glasgow, beginning his cello studies at the age of seven.  In 2001, he accepted a place at The Music School of Douglas Academy, Milngavie, and studied there for 6 years under the tuition of Myra Chahin.  David greatly enjoys solo perfoming, winning the Ailie Cullen Memorial Prize at the Glasgow Music Festival for most outstanding performance.  His foremost passion, however, lies in chamber music.  He has performed a wide range of music from Haydn and Mozart string quartets to a Saint-Saens septet and a Piazzolla accordion ensemble.  He has performed both as a soloist and as part of an ensemble in the RSAMD, Barony Hall, The Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, Edinburgh's Queens Hall and Glasgow's City Halls.  In addition, David has performed in Birmingham Symphony Hall, The Usher Hall, Concertgebouw (Amsterdam) and Konzerthaus (Berlin) as part of the National Youth Orchestra of Scotland.  In September this year, David continued his musical studies at Glasgow University as a BMus student.

Helena Gourd is a fifth year pupil at Lomond School in Helensburgh, where her flute teacher is Louise Burnet.  In the seven years since Helena first took up the flute, she has won a number of awards and played in children's and youth orchestras at National level.

In 2002 she was winner of the Premier Festival Cup at the Mid-Argyll Music festival, only two years after starting to play the flute.  At the 2006 Glasgow Music Festival she won the Alexander Cup for Open Woodwind and was awarded a bursary to attend the European Youth Summer Music course at Haileybury College, where she also performed as a soloist.  This year she was winner of the Woodwind and Brass Premier Class and gave a solo performance in the prestigious Last Night Concert of the 2007 Glasgow Music Festival.

Helena is currently a member of the National Youth Wind Orchestra of Great Britain and has just completed a tour of the Czech Republic, including a performance at the Rudolfinum concert hall in Prague.  She has previously been a member of both the National Children's Orchestra of Great Britain and the National Children's Orchestra of Scotland.

Walter Blair is one of Scotland's most versatile musicians, combining a career in music education with that of a performing musician in the profession.  He received a Fellowship from the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama, having been Associate Director of Music there for a number of years.  Walter has a long association with Glasgow Music Festival, most recently as an official accompanist and also as an adjudicator.