Cara Laskaris
Cara Laskaris is a versatile musician and natural performer, acclaimed for her “virtuosic clarity”. Recent highlights include performing chamber music at the Southbank Centre and playing solo violin in Peter Maxwell-Davies’ The Lighthouse at Royal Opera House with the composer present, awarded 5* reviews in The Telegraph. As a solo violinist, Cara has performed concertos at St John’s Smith Square and Blenheim Palace, broadcast on BBC radio and received masterclasses from Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis, Andras Keller and Rachel Podger. She gives recitals around Europe and the UK, including performing on the rare ‘Beechback’ Stradivarius violin which was broadcast on Austrian television.
Cara is a member of Southbank Sinfonia, the UK’s busiest chamber orchestra, where she enjoys exploring a variety of genres, leading the orchestra in baroque, classical, contemporary and jazz performances. With Southbank Sinfonia, she has worked with conductors such as Vladimir Ashkenazy, Antonio Pappano and John Wilson, and played for performances with Aurora Orchestra, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, BBC Concert Orchestra, Guy Barker Jazz Orchestra & Orchestra of the Royal Opera House. As a chamber and orchestral musician, Cara now regularly performs at venues such as Barbican, Cadogan Hall and Royal Festival Hall. Equally at home in the pop and jazz world, Cara has collaborated with artists such as ABC, Carly Paoli, Damon Albarn, Syd Lawrence Jazz Orchestra and Russell Watson in the studio, on stage and on tour.
Outreach work is very important to Cara. She has taken part in education and outreach projects with Wigmore Hall learning department, London Chamber Orchestra, Glyndebourne and Southbank Sinfonia, including performing and narrating family concerts and leading workshops. Cara studied on scholarships at Oxford University and Guildhall School of Music & Drama, and is very grateful for the support of the John Wates Foundation, the Vernon Ellis scholarship and the Ahmet Ertegun scholarship.