About Us
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Equinox Duo
Formed in 2016 during their undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music, the Equinox Duo have performed in concerts across the UK. Appearances include the Barnes Music Festival 2023, Buxton International Festival 2021, a recital of recent works for flute and harp at the Royal Academy of Music (2020) and as Young Artists for the Barnes Music Festival 2019. Excited by contemporary music, the duo have premiered works by composers Cameron Biles-Liddell and David Nunn. The piece Cairies by David Nunn was written for the ensemble in 2020. The duo aim to continue commissioning new music for the ensemble to broaden the repertoire for the instrument combination. In addition to performing with the Equinox Duo, Esther and Mina enjoy performing in other chamber groups, as soloists and in orchestras. They initially began playing together as members of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain 2013 and 2014.
Mina Middleton
Mina Middleton is from Northamptonshire, but spent 5 years in Manchester learning with Belinda Gough, Laura Jellicoe and Katherine Bryan at Chetham’s School of Music. Her time at the school culminated in a performance of the Nielsen Concerto at the Bridgewater Hall (2016). Mina then went on to complete a BMus and MA at the Royal Academy of Music where she studied with Kate Hill, Michael Cox, Katherine Baker, Karen Jones, Patricia Morris and Helen Keen.
Mina enjoys a varied freelance career and her love of the performing arts has led her to play the flute on screen for the BBC drama series Fleabag and solo alto flute for the soundtrack to MacBeth at the Chichester Festival Theatre (2019). In 2021-2023 she held the flute chair with the Les Misérables official UK tour and is a regular deputy on other touring musicals. She has been a member of Sinfonia Cymru since 2020 and freelances with other orchestras such as the BBC Symphony Orchestra.
©The Musician's Photographer
©The Musician's Photographer
Esther Beyer
Esther Beyer is an award-winning professional harpist based in London. Competition successes include first place in the inaugural Royal Academy of Music Bicentenary Award (held at Wigmore Hall, 2020) and reaching the final of the 2020 Sir Karl Jenkins Music Award (in association with Classic FM). Esther is also a yeoman of The Musician’s Company.
A passionate orchestral musician, Esther has worked under the batons of renowned conductors such as Sir Mark Elder, Edward Gardener and Ilan Volkov, with orchestras including the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Esther was a London Philharmonic Orchestra Foyle Future Firsts Associate for 2021/22 and the harpist for the 2021 London Sinfonietta Academy.
An Open Academy Fellow for 2022/23, Esther is a keen advocate of the importance of music in the community. She has recently worked with the London Sinfonietta and Musician’s Company learning departments to deliver composition workshops in Primary Schools across London and has been an Assistant Creative Tutor and Assistant Harp Tutor for the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.
Esther studied at the Royal Academy of Music with Karen Vaughan and Susan Blair, graduating with a Bachelor of Music (First Class) and a Master of Music (Distinction) degrees in 2020 and 2022. In 2020 she was a recipient of the Regency Award for outstanding contribution. Esther is a grateful recipient of a Wolfson Foundation Grant (2018), which allowed her to purchase her Salvi Iris harp.