Andrew Brownell won 2nd Prize at the 2006 Leeds Competition and has since pursued an active and varied international performing career. He won 2nd Prize ex aequo at the 2002 International J. S. Bach Competition in Leipzig, and also won 1st Prize at the 2005 J.N. Hummel Competition in Bratislava, Highlights from the current season include recital debuts in Sweden and Austria, as well as solo, chamber, and orchestral appearances across Europe and North America. Mr. Brownell's performances have aired on BBC radio and television, Classic FM (UK), NPR, CBC, Mitteldeutscher Rundfunk, and RBB KulturRadio. He has been soloist with orchestras such as the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Slovak Philharmonic, and the Hermitage State Orchestra (Russia). A native of Portland, Oregon, Andrew Brownell studied at the University of Southern California (Los Angeles); and at the Guildhall School of Music in London, where he earned a doctorate. He is also an accomplished organist with the FRCO diploma. He teaches privately and at St. Paul's Girls' School, the Royal Conservatoire of Antwerp; and the University of Cambridge.

The Laefer Quartet is an exciting and fresh new saxophone quartet who were delighted to be awarded the 2014 Boconnoc Music Award. Formed in 2012 at the Royal College of Music, the quartet has since been performing across the UK at numerous venues, including The Royal Albert Hall's Elgar Room and The Forge, Camden. As individuals and as a group, the quartet are experienced in a variety of genres but specialise in performing contemporary classical repertoire and transcriptions of works by classical composers. Recent performances include UK premières of works by contemporary composers such as Ivan Fedele and up and coming composers Ed Scolding and Alexander Glyde-Bates. The Laefer Quartet has received coaching from Kyle Horch and Martin Robertson and has performed in masterclasses with David Brutti and Gerard McChrystal. The Laefer Quartet intend to continue performing throughout the UK and are currently commissioning several new works. The word ‘Laefer' (pronounced lay-fer) is anglo-saxon for ‘reed' and ‘sheet metal'. The quartet comprises A my Green soprano saxophone, Rusne Mikiskaite alto saxophone, Philip Attard tenor saxophone and Stephen Shepherd baritone saxophone

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