Peter Collyer : viola

Peter has specialised in baroque and classical viola since 1989. He was a member of the English Baroque Soloists for ten years and has played with all of the leading period instrument ensembles in London. In addition to his work with La Serenissima he is principal viola of the London Handel Orchestra and London Handel Players and has appeared as guest-principal viola with the English Concert, the Irish Baroque Orchestra, The Dunedin Consort and the Orquestra Barroca Casa da Música in Portugal.

Peter studied at the Royal College of Music, graduating in 1984 with the viola recital prize. In addition to his work on period instruments, his performing career covers a wide range of activities including symphony orchestras, musicals and session work for film, TV and pop.

Away from the concert platform, Peter is active as a teacher, lecturer and researcher in higher education. He was Head of Performance and Early Music Studies at the University of Southampton from 1999 to 2007, and in 2008 was awarded funding by the Arts and Humanities Research Council to study towards a PhD at the University of Leeds (for completion in 2012), joining a major research project looking at the historical performance practice implications of nineteenth and early twentieth century string chamber music editions.  He has presented research papers at the Universities of Cardiff, Leeds and Manchester, and at the Royal Northern College of Music, and he lectures on historical performance practice at Guildhall School of Music  and Trinity College of Music.  He also teaches violin and viola at the University of Leeds.