John Hird is the Founder and Creative Director of Alerion Strings, delivering vibrant and inspiring performances across the UK. Originally from Lincolnshire, he began playing the violin at age eight and discovered his true voice on the viola at twenty-one. John studied at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire and the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), training under renowned violists Rose Redgrave, Vicci Wardman, Robin Ireland, and Susie Mészáros. His extensive career includes performances with prestigious ensembles such as the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé, the London Mozart Players, Opera North, the Manchester Camerata, Manchester Concert Orchestra and the London Philharmonic Orchestra, alongside appearances at major festivals and broadcasts on BBC Radio three. He is also experienced in professional recording environments, having recorded for major artists and orchestras around the country. He currently performs on an Andrea Guarneri–model viola, crafted in 2016 by Andrew Sutherland

Rebecca is a violist from Marsden in West Yorkshire. She is an accomplished orchestral player and regularly freelances with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, BBC Philharmonic Orchestra, the Hallé, Manchester Camerata, and Opera North. Rebecca completed her Master’s degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, where she studied with Vicci Wardman, Alex Mitchell and Susie Mészáros. Here she was awarded the RNCM Viola Prize and in 2022 became the Junior Fellow in Viola. Alongside her performance work, Rebecca is an instrumental tutor and workshop coordinator at the North of England Centre for Music and Arts. Rebecca plays on a Niccolò viola by Chris Tayler.

A graduate of the Koninklijk Conservatorium Den Haag in the Netherlands, RNCM and Royal Birmingham Conservatoire receiving the highest marks for performance, cellist Harry Broom BMus Hons, MMus, PgDip is currently pursuing a busy and diverse career both as a performer and a teacher. Harry has performed in concert halls such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the Royal Albert Hall London, The Bridgewater Hall Manchester, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht and Symphony Hall Birmingham. Harry currently freelances with orchestras such as BBC Philharmonic, Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra (also in conjunction with Dutch National Opera at the Nationale Opera and Ballet Amsterdam), The Hallé, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, Welsh National Opera, Residentie Orkest Den Haag and the English Symphony Orchestra and has been broadcast regularly on BBC Radio 3 and Dutch Radio NPO 4. In chamber music, Harry plays regularly in concerts with ensembles (Talland Quartet, Pelargos Quartet and Wyss Trio) around the UK and the Netherlands.