About Fedora Strings: Roger Stimson and Joanna Borrett

We have been working together since 2011 and have a shared love of string sound. Few composers have written for string duet – despite its  potential. Our aim is to expand the string duet repertoire. Click on the pull down tab on this page to see five YouTube videos of us performing our own unique arrangements.

Roger Stimson – Violinist

Roger studied at The Royal Academy of Music where he was awarded the Orchestral Prize. He joined the Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra in 1969. He has worked as a principal with the Welsh National Opera Company and as co-principal with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra.Roger has played in most of the major concert halls in the UK and toured in America, Canada, Quatar, Hong Kong, Istanbul and Norway. He has a wide taste in music. He’s led the orchestra of the Vienna Festival Ballet, played palm court at the Sheraton Hotel, Doha and been a solo violinist with the London Balalaika Ensemble. In recent years Roger has become increasingly interested in composition. He’s arranged many of the pieces in our music sales shop.His 15 Insect Songs have just been published by Spartan Press.

Joanna Borrett – Cellist

Joanna studied with Christopher Bunting in London and at the Moscow Conservatoire. She toured North America as principal cellist with the Scottish Baroque Ensemble. Shortly afterwards made her solo debut at the Wigmore Hall, where the Daily Telegraph commented on her “bright impetuous personality” and “ardently responsive style”. In 1983 she formed and became artistic director of  Peterborough String Orchestra, a twelve piece string ensemble. This was reviewed in The Guardian as having “the sort of responsive precision you expect from a string quartet. The real emotional stuff of music making”. She has commissioned  many new works for solo cello, trio and string orchestra and recently recorded Bach’s first and third unaccompanied cello suites. Her  Four Famous Opera Arias arranged for Two Cellos has recently been published by SJ Music with a duet cd. Joanna’s recording of Bach’s 5th cello suite will be released this year. She has taught cello for more than 40 years and was an ABRSM examiner for 24 years.She plays on a cello by Jean Baptiste Vuillaume made in 1855.