George Clifford is a versatile musician, equally at home playing the organ and conducting the choir at his local parish church in East Grinstead, singing bass, tenor and alto in choirs around the UK and playing Indian film music on the electric violin as he is playing historical violins and violas. George began life as a modern violinist, studying with Igor Petrushevski at the Royal Academy of Music (RAM) in London. During his undergraduate course he was offered the opportunity to take up baroque violin as a second study and jumped at the chance, having loved the sound of historically informed performances of baroque and classical music from an early age. Under the guidance of the great baroque violin pioneer Simon Standage, George discovered exciting new repertoire and possibilities, and he never looked back. He went on to study baroque and classical violin full time with Matthew Truscott, leader of the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment (OAE), and completed a Master of Arts degree with Distinction in 2011. George was awarded the prestigious DipRAM for an outstanding final recital. During his studies at the RAM, George was fortunate enough to receive guidance and coaching from some great musicians in the field of early music, including Rachel Podger, Margaret Faultless, Kati Debretzeni, Nicolette Moonen, Lisa Beznosiuk, Jed Wentz, Daniël Brüggen, Peter Holtslag, Laurence Cummings, Terence Charlston, Elizabeth Kenny, Paula Chateauneuf and many more. He was also given the opportunity to work with some great directors and conductors including Sir John Eliot Gardiner, Trevor Pinnock, the Late Sir Charles Mackerras, Jane Glover, Edward Higginbottom and John Butt. George was also privileged to be able to take part in the RAM/Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series from its inception in 2009, playing 2-3 cantatas once a month under the expert direction of Iain Ledingham. Other musicians George has worked with include Charles Hazelwood, Richard Egarr, Steven Devine, Robert Levin, Pavlo Beznosiuk, Mark Padmore, Mark Deller and Neil Jenkins and he has played with ensembles including the OAE, the Academy of Ancient Music, the Gabrieli Consort & Players, the Dunedin Consort, the Hanover Band, the International Baroque Players, New Century Baroque, Charivari Agréable, Oxford Baroque, Brecon Baroque, The Amadè Players, Poeticall Musicke, The Regent’s Soloists, Britten-Pears Baroque Orchestra and La Nuova Musica. In 2011 George was selected as a participant in the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment’s apprenticeship scheme, the ‘Ann and Peter Law OAE Experience for young players’ on both violin and viola. In May 2012 George gave the modern day London Première of Vivaldi’s Sonata RV.815 for violin and basso continuo, which had been recently rediscovered at the Foundling Museum in London, and in October, gave the broadcast Première live on BBC Radio 3 and made the Première recording of the work. George's debut album ‘Ravishing Sweetenesse’ was released in December 2013 with the record label Veterum Musica, featuring solo violin music by Baltzar, Biber, Westhoff, Telemann and Pisendel. George also features on many of Veterum Musica’s other albums with the ensemble Poeticall Musicke, all of which can be downloaded free at www.veterummusica.co.uk.
