Valegro Quartet 

Free admission | Donations welcome

Programme

St James’s is grateful for the generous support of Rolex for this music programme.

Artist bio

In April of 2024, they have participated in the West Dean master class for string quartet with all four members of the Chilingirian Quartet, which they are also planning on attending in 2025 as well. Later that year in October, they joined the Oxford Chamber Music Festival ,and had several lessons with the second violinist and the violist from the Ebene quartet.  

Recently, they got very highly commended in the Wolfe Wolfinsohn prize for Schumann quartets in the Royal Academy of Music. 

Takanori Okamoto, violin 

Takanori started the violin at the age of 6, and has graduated the High School attached to the Tokyo University of the Arts in Japan, where he graduated at the top of his year. Currently he is studying with Prof. Levon Chilingirian in the Royal Academy of Music (UK), where he has a scholarship. He has won 2nd prize in the Tunbridge Wells international competition in 2024. Recently he has won 1st prize in both the Harold Craxton prize for ensembles, and the Duo prize, which were both held in the Royal Academy of Music. 

Paloma Bharucha, violin 

Paloma is currently a 2nd year undergraduate scholarship student at the Royal Academy of Music in London. She has studied there with Prof. Philippe Honore since 2018. She has competed in and won numerous national and international competitions in the UK, Austria and Italy, some of which include the New Talent Festival, the Haslemere string competition, IMF Die Goldene Note and 

Concoorso Musicale Citta di Palmanova. Consequently, she has performed for numerous prize winners’ concerts, notable venues including the Mozartsaal at the Wiener Konzerthaus in 2019 and the Duke’s Hall at the Academy in 2023. 

Haruka Makino, violin 

Haruka is a violinist and violist from Hamamatsu in Japan. She started playing the violin at the age of three. She was the principal violinist at the string orchestra of her high school and was awarded the gold prize at the JapanSchool Ensemble Competition. She took part in the British Isles Music Festival 

when she was sixteen, which motivated her decision to study music in the UK. 

After graduation from Hamamatsu Nishi High School, she entered the Royal Academy of Music in 2021, majoring in violin with Prof. Joshua Fisher, learning the viola with Prof. Yuko Inoue, and is in her fourth year. In Japan, she worked as the chamber music partner at Tsukiminosato Chamber 

Music Academy in 2022 and 2024 and she is looking forward to doing duo concerts with a marimbist in Japan this summer. She will continue her musical journey and enhance her understanding of chamber music more with playing two instruments. 

Freya Souter, cello 

Born into a professional musical family, Freya has been surrounded by music her entire life. She started her studies on the cello aged seven and soon after won a scholarship to study at Wells Cathedral School with Richard May, former ‘cellist of the Alberni String Quartet. Subsequently, Freya was awarded a scholarship to study with the distinguished cellist Robert Cohen at The Royal 

Academy of Music, London. Freya has performed in concerts across Europe as a guest cellist with the Alberni String Quartet, alongside her mother, the violinist Karin Leishman and her father, the violist Matthew Souter. She has also participated in masterclasses across the UK and Europe with world class musicians such as Leonid Gorokhov, Stephen Isserlis, Hannah Roberts, Quator Ebene and Prof Li Jiwu from the Shanghai Conservatoire. During her studies at the Royal Academy, Freya has enjoyed performing in many prestigious concert halls across the UK as a chamber musician, including The Wigmore Hall, Cadogan Hall and Holywell Music Room