Violin
Michael Trainor, who has been praised for his “his marvellous tone, dead-centre intonation and lyrical phrasing” (Bachtrack) and for being “entirely spontaneous and natural” (Seen and Heard International), is a founding member of the Piatti Quartet and his contributions to chamber music were formally recognised when he became an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music in 2018. He is first violinist of the Piattis and his distinctive and passionate style can be heard in the many recordings for the Quartet, including albums he has personally curated, discovering novelties such as the Ina Boyle Quartet (premiere recording) which was awarded a spot on the ‘Top 10 best albums of 2023’ with Presto Music. Their album on the Hyperion label of ‘On Wenlock Edge’ was also singled out as one of the top 20 Ralph Vaughan Williams’ recordings of all time with Gramophone Magazine.
As a soloist he has broadcast the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto and many duo recital works for BBC radio and he has released his first solo works on disc with Lyrita Records, with the premiere recordings of pieces by William Busch from the 1940’s. More solo repertoire will be released with Signum Records in 2025. He has been guest concertmaster of the RTÉ Symphony, RTÉ Concert, BBC Philharmonic, John Wilson, City of Birmingham Symphony and Ulster Orchestras and principals with many others. He is often Principal Second Violin with the Sinfonia of London Orchestra (SOL) and has recorded over 20 albums of groundbreaking and multiple award winning recordings for symphony as well as chamber orchestra. He has recorded as a quartet soloist in works by Ysaye, Enescu, RVW, Elgar, Howells and Delius for SOL and similarly with the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Michael is a Visiting Professor of Chamber Music at the Royal College of Music.
He plays on a Ferdinand Gagliano/Voller violin (a composite copy) crafted by the scandalously and infamously talented Voller brothers.
He has many people to thank over the years including Therese Mc Kinney, Father Magee, Michael D’Arcy, Dona Lee Croft, Tomotada Soh, Guenter Pichler and many other teachers who have given up their valuable time and insight.