The May Ensemble is a group of string players, who have performed together for nearly twenty years. Our four principal players are Krista Caspersz, Fiona Leggat, Amy May and Nerys Richards. The Ensemble performs for parties, weddings and events, for session recordings and for performing artists, both live and on TV.
The quartet is based both in London and the East Sussex coastline and works throughout the southeast. |
Krista Caspersz (violin 1)
After completing her studies at the Royal Academy of Music in 1994, Krista has worked extensively as a soloist and orchestral and ensemble violinist. She has played for the Philharmonia and BBC Concert Orchestra and has performed classic works such as Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, Bach’s Concerto for Two Violins and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons to great critical acclaim. Krista has also worked extensively with popular artists and groups, playing with Kanye West, Dionne Warwick, Rod Stewart, Burt Bacherach, Shirley Bassey, and recording with Kanye West and Liam Gallagher amongst others. |
Fiona Leggat (violin 2)
Fiona studied at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1995 to 2000. Since then she has gone on to play with many orchestras, such as Philharmonia, City of London Sinfonia, Holland Park Opera Orchestra, BBC Welsh, RTE (Ireland), NSO and the City of Oxford Symphony Orchestra. She has also worked extensively in the West End, on shows such as Les Miserables, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Carousel, Porgy and Bess, Lion King, Ghost and Top Hat. She has also performed and recorded with several popular artists such as Peter Gabriel, Paulo Nutini, Sarah Blasko, Professor Green and Emeli Sande. |
Amy May (viola)
Amy studied viola and composition at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1990 (as a junior exhibitioner) to 2001. After completing her studies, she wrote and recorded an album for her band, Paris Motel, and began to perform as a singer. By 2005 Paris Motel was touring Europe, the UK and America, to great critical acclaim. After forming Paris Motel, Amy’s passion for popular music lead to her touring with some of the world’s most interesting, innovative and exciting artists and bands, notably Elbow, Snow Patrol, Hurts, Cerys Matthews and others. She has performed with The Killers, Emeli Sande, Dizzee Rascal, Muse, John Cale, Patrick Wolf, UNKLE, The Brian Jonestown Massacre, Jamie Cullum, Michael Buble, The Enemy, Dirty Pretty Things, Mr. Hudson, Katherine Jenkins, Sarah Blasko, Suggs and many others. She has also worked as a session player on albums for dozens of artists including Razorlight, KT Tunstall, Professor Green, Emeli Sande, Dizzee Rascal, Eric Prydz, Jonathan Jeremiah and many more. Amy is the principal viola of The Heritage Orchestra and is currently the violin/viola player in the West End's 'Hamilton' musical. |
Nerys Richards (cello)
Nerys studied ‘cello and piano at Guildhall School of Music and Drama from 1997 – 2001. Amongst her early successes she won the coveted Blue Riband Prize at the National Eisteddfod, and reached the final of the United Kingdom Music for Youth Piano competition. She works regularly with The English National Opera, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Welsh National Opera, Northern Ballet, Heritage Orchestra, English Session Orchestra and Welsh Session Orchestra. She has performed with various pop artists such as Josh Groban, Little Mix, Labrinth, Il Divo, Kanye West, Rod Stewart, Michael Bublé, Ben Folds, Steve Brookstein, Lemar , Ian Brown, Leona Lewis, Serj Tankian, Professor Green, Tim Minchin, Matt Cardle and has toured the U.K. and Europe with Simply Red. She has worked extensively in the west end, playing cello for Lloyd Webbers ‘Aspects of Love’ (tour), Shrek- The Musical (Theatre Royal), Sondheims ‘Passion’, ‘Spelling Bee’(Donmar Warehouse), and ‘The Fantasticks’ (Duchess Theatre). She is a deputy on ‘Matilda’, ‘Lion King’ and ‘Les Miserables’. |