Join Claremont Ensemble in 2025

Becky Gould is a versatile viola player whose performances with orchestras and ensembles have taken her worldwide. 

After gaining graduate and post graduate degrees on violin at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Becky went on to win a scholarship to study viola with Professor Ian Jewel at the Royal Academy of Music.

Becky took up a full-time position with the Hallé Orchestra and then later moved to join the viola section of the

Royal Liverpool Philharmonic.

She is currently freelancing across the UK and has recently guest-lead Manchester Camerata, Royal Philharmonic Concert Orchestra, and London Concert Orchestra, as well as serving as guest 

Co-Principal with the BBC Philharmonic. 

Becky also works with the NDR Radio Philharmonia, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, The Philharmonia, and London Mozart Players. 

As a chamber musician, Becky has performed in the UK, France, and Germany, and co-directed a concert of the NDR RadioPhilharmonie and RLPO viola sections in Hannover's Rundfunkhaus, recorded for broadcast on Nord Deutsche Radio.

Notably she founded Claremont Ensemble for lockdown concerts, directing their CD release "A Winter's Journey" in a six week window of opportunity! The ensemble gained a solid reputation, and were subsequently commissioned in partnership with the National Portrait Gallery, Holburne Museum, Walker Art Gallery and National Museums Liverpool, to provide a soundscape for the world acclaimed Tudors Portrait exhibition. 

Alexander holds a BA (hons) in music from the University of York and an MA in Music (composition) from the University of Sussex under professor Martin Butler. He studied the harp in London with Gabriella dall’Olio and Helen Sharp, latterly completing his Masters in performance at the Norwegian Academy of Music, Oslo, in the harp class of internationally renowned pedagogue Isabelle Perrin.

He has been a finalist of the World Harp Competition (Netherlands), the North London Competition (UK) and a two-time finalist of the USA International Harp Competition Ruth Inglefield Composers’ Competition. His work has been shortlisted for the BFI London Film Festival and the Shout Festival of Arts and Culture.

He has performed at most of the major UK concert halls, on BBC Radio and in residency at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, the Brighton Fringe Festival, the Roundhouse (Camden), the Soho Theatre (London) and numerous other venues across the UK. His corporate clients have included Snapchat, Christian Louboutin, MALIN+GOETZ, Liberty of London, H&M, Berkeley Group, Marriott and Renaissance Hotels.

He currently works as a freelance orchestral harpist, recitalist, teacher, workshop leader and composer.

You can see more of him on Instagram - @alexander_harp - as well as on YouTube.

Vaughan Williams, 6 Studies in English Folksong

Bach Courante, Sarabande, Bourrée I & II Suite No3 Cello Suite

Rebecca Clarke, I’ll Bid My Heart Be Still

Dan Whibley, Casadh an tSúgáin

Faure, Interlude

Faure, Après un rêve

Lili Boulanger, Nocturne

Alexander Thomas, Rose Quartz

Vaughan Williams Greensleeves

Andy Scott, And Everything is Still