ABOUT US
The Amaia Quartet is a London-based string quartet with a passion for bringing vibrant performances to diverse audiences. With members from Scotland, England and New Zealand, they enjoy giving recitals around the UK and abroad exploring the incredible string quartet repertoire, from Schubert to Shostakovich to Caroline Shaw. Most recently, the Quartet has performed in concert series in Welwyn, Gravesend, Rhymney Valley, and Conway Hall in London; the latter featuring a collaboration with clarinettist Peter Cigleris. In 2024, the Quartet established a new concert series at Woodfield Pavilion in Streatham, London, with the aim of reaching new audiences within the community who never or rarely experience live classical music. They intend to expand the series to other community venues across London in the future. The Quartet is looking forward to upcoming recitals at Biggar Music Club and Welwyn Garden Concert Club. In 2023, the Quartet was selected for the ChamberStudio mentorship scheme, through which they received coaching from Levon Chilingirian and Richard Ireland in a mix of private and public masterclasses, including at Kings Place. The Quartet also received coaching from members of the Kuss, Alban Berg and Artemis Quartets as part of Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus 2023 in Weikersheim, Germany. They most recently were accepted into Le Dimore del Quartetto, an organisation that supports and promotes selected chamber ensembles by offering them residencies, concerts and other opportunities across Europe. In 2025, the Quartet enjoyed a week-long Le Dimore residency at Arthingworth Manor in Northamptonshire, culminating in a performance of Beethoven’s Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132. Aside from chamber music, the members of the Amaia Quartet share a love of running, cats and cake.
Alex Lomeiko - New Zealander Alexandra Lomeiko began her musical studies with violin and piano lessons at the age of 5. At the age of 15 she moved to London to continue her musical studies at the Purcell School of Music. She then followed on with studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama where she received her BMus(Hons) and then at the Royal College of Music where she received her MMus and Artist Diploma. A laureate of numerous competitions, she was awarded a Laureate Prize at the George Enescu International Violin Competition (2016), the Development Prize at the Michael Hill International Violin Competition (2017) and won the Senior Hattori Foundation Award (2017) amongst others. Alongside the Amaia Quartet, Alex is also the 1st violinist of the flexi chamber group Ensemble Mirage and also regularly performs as part of orchestras including Aurora Orchestra, BBCSO, London Symphony Orchestra, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra amongst others. Her performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio 3, Medici TV, Classical FM as well as other media platforms. She is an avid fan of musical theatre and can regularly be found performing in the bands and orchestras of West End shows such as The Phantom of the Opera, Hamilton, Evita and Les Miserables.
Hannah Bell -Hannah Bell is a chamber and orchestral violinist based in London. She read Music at St Catharine’s College, Cambridge, before studying Violin Performance with chamber music specialist Richard Ireland at the Royal Academy of Music. Hannah received world-class chamber coaching on the Academy’s advanced chamber music scheme (ASSET) as 2nd violinist of the Bell Quartet, who went on to win the RAM Wolfe Wolfinsohn Quartet Prize in 2019. She was also a member of Southbank Sinfonia from 2020 to 2021. When she is not playing with the Amaia Quartet, Hannah performs and records regularly with Aurora Orchestra, Britten Sinfonia, United Strings of Europe, BBC Concert Orchestra and the Philharmonia, and she often appears as Principal 2nd Violin with the Outcry Ensemble. She enjoys memorised orchestral performances, and has participated in numerous of these with Aurora Orchestra, including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, Shostakovich’s Symphony No. 5 and Beethoven’s Symphony No. 9. Hannah plays a violin made by Marc Paquin.
George White - George White enjoys a diverse career as a versatile chamber and orchestral musician. A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music, George is now a member of the London Mozart Players and frequently freelances with other orchestras across the UK, including the United Strings of Europe, Paraorchestra, Philharmonia, and Sinfonia of London. He is an experienced period instrumentalist and regularly performs with ensembles such as the English Baroque Soloists, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique, Dunedin Consort, and La Serenissima. George enjoys collaborative opportunities with various groups, such as the Berkeley Ensemble, the Hanover Band, and the Edington Ensemble. He regularly deputises on West End shows such as Les Miserables, Hamilton, and The Phantom of the Opera.
Molly McWhirter - Molly McWhirter is a Scottish cellist from Linlithgow, enjoying a varied freelance career based in London. She graduated in 2018 with a Masters in Performance with Distinction from the Guildhall School of Music, having previously studied as an undergraduate at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland with Robert Irvine and Martin Storey. Molly enjoys playing regularly with orchestras such as The BBC Symphony Orchestra, Philharmonia, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and City of London Sinfonia amongst others. Molly was a member of Corran Quartet with whom she played live on BBC Radio 3, at Fidelio Cafe, and were Britten Pears Artists 21/22 and Buxton International Festival’s Chamber Ensemble 21/22. She joined the Amaia Quartet in 2023, who were selected for the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar 2024 and with whom she has enjoyed learning with Levon Chilingirian through Chamber Studio, and the Kuss Quartet. As a soloist Molly was selected as Aboyne Cello Festival’s Young Artists 2023 and has performed Schumann Cello Concerto with the Antonine Ensemble. She was also a Finalist in the Governor’s Recital Prize. She works in London’s West End deputising in Oliver! & Matilda, and has performed with award-winning musicians such as Sam Smith and Max Richter. She has recorded for artists such as Taylor Swift & Lady Gaga. When she's not playing cello Molly spends her time escaping to the outdoors.