7 Star Arts presents some of the UK’s finest artists representing a range of genres from classical music and jazz to theatre and the visual arts. Available individually or as part of 7 Star Arts unique productions, our artists are ideal for festivals, arts centres or small scale venues.
Anthony Hewitt
Concert pianist
“A remarkably gifted artist” The Gramophone, 2008
Anthony Hewitt‘s communicative and virtuosic pianism has won him many plaudits worldwide. He is a recitalist, concerto soloist, chamber musician and prize-winner at international piano competitions as well as founder and artistic director of the Ulverston International Music Festival.
Viv McLean
Concert pianist
“…extraordinary originality, superb simplicity, and muscles of steel hidden by fingers of velvet” Le Monde
Viv McLean won First Prize at the 2002 Maria Canals International Piano Competition in Barcelona and has performed in all the major venues in the UK, as well as throughout Europe, Japan, Australia and the USA. He has performed concertos with orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Philharmonia Orchestra, London Philharmonic Orchestra, English Chamber Orchestra, BBC Concert Orchestra and the Halle Orchestra. As a keen chamber musician he has collaborated with many groups including the Leopold String Trio and the Sacconi String Quartet as well as artists such as Natalie Clein, Daniel Hope, Guy Johnston and Lawrence Power. Viv has recorded regularly for BBC Radio 3 as well as for radio in Germany, France, Australia, Norway and Poland.
Viv regularly performs in 7 Star Art’s productions of Classic Gershwin, Divine Fire and Sweet Harmony, with actress Susan Porrett.
David Le Page
Violinist
“his unique sense of creativity infuses everything he does” – The Independent
Guernsey-born David Le Page is a successful composer and virtuoso of the violin who has worked with a diverse selection of artists and ensembles.
Susan Porrett
Actress and Writer
Susan Porrett has had a long theatrical career. She played Audrey in As You Like It at Nottingham Playhouse, Ursula in Much Ado About Nothing at the National Theatre and Second Witch in Macbeth and Queen Caroline in The Art of Success (both for the RSC). In 2004 she went to the Hong Kong Festival to play the Nurse in Romeo and Juliet for English Touring Theatre and later appeared in The Good Soul of Szechuan at the Young Vic. Favourite parts include Miss Pross in A Tale of Two Cities, Betsy Trotwood in David Copperfield (both at Greenwich Theatre) and Matron in Forty Years On (at West Yorkshire Playhouse). Most recent stage appearances: The Heresy of Love (Shakespeare’s Globe, 2015), The Autumn Garden by Lillian Hellman (Jermyn Street Theatre, October 2016) and The Slaves of Solitude at Hampstead Theatre (October-November 2017). Films include Alan Bennett’s A Private Function, in which she played butcher’s wife, Mrs. Medcalf. Her many television credits include: Upstairs, Downstairs (as underhousemaid Alice); three series of Grange Hill (as Mrs.Thomas, the biology teacher) and playing Doris in Absolute Hell with Judi Dench. Her most recent tv appearance was as Withers in the BBC series Mapp and Lucia. Radio work in 2017: BBC Radio 4’s Home Front series.
Klára Smith
Artist
Armed with a scalpel and solid knowledge of print design, Klara Smith is a paper artist and freelance graphic designer.
Her papercut illustrations work on several levels – as the papercut itself; as photographs which capture distorted shadows that take on a life of their own and, as in her projects with a number of musicians, gently animated, fluid stories.
With many years of experience, Klara also designs printed materials, namely books and other publications. Apart from the commercial work, she creates her own artist’s books, original hand pulled prints and decorates ceramics with her illustrations.
Klara has produced beautiful cut-outs for 7 Star Arts’ productions Sweet Harmony and Chekhov’s Grand Piano. Her recent project Out There is a collaboration with violinist David Le Page who has composed original music in response to Klara’s art.
Clara Rodriguez
Concert pianist
Clara Rodriguez is one of the most distinguished of the present generation of international artists. Her concert programmes have consistently contrasted traditional classical music with the output of South American composers.
Since coming to London at seventeen to study at the Royal College of Music with Phyllis Sellick, she has performed to great acclaim as a soloist at Southbank Centre, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre and at St John’s Smith Square.
Clara Rodriguez has also studied with Guiomar Narváez, Niel Immelman and Paul Badura-Skoda.
In Caracas, aged sixteen she made her debut playing Mozart Piano Concerto No 27 with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra under the baton of José Antonio Abreu; from then on Clara Rodriguez’s career as a concert pianist has taken her to tour in Europe, India, Egypt, Tunisia and the Americas. Her playing is described as highly expressive, sensitive with considerable digital clarity and stylistic acumen.
Mayda Narvey
Cellist
Cellist and composer Mayda Narvey was born in Canada, studied in the United States (with Janos Starker and Bernard Greenhouse for whom she became teaching assistant) and played for some years with the National Arts Centre Orchestra of Canada, touring, and performing in a solo and chamber music capacity for the CBC (national radio of Canada). Since emigrating to the UK, Mayda created and developed Ismena Collective, a group of musicians, actors and writers committed to marrying words with music in different capacities. As one half of ‘Out of Time’ she performs regularly with Darris Golinski creating explorations of a given theme through spoken word and her cello with the addition of a loop pedal. She composes and arranges for Ismena which performs in a variety of genres throughout London and beyond. She also plays weekly in a small Klezmer band which will be performing for 7 Star Arts in August.
Graham Roos
Writer, director & performer
Graham Roos is a writer, director and performer whose works spans the media of Theatre, film, TV, radio, opera and poetry. He started his career under the aegis of the legendary impresario Alan Sievewright, artistic director of Iambic Productions, with whom he worked as personal assistant, assistant director and presenter for some of the most prestigious shows (both stage and TV) ever to come out of the United Kingdom
He has worked for The Royal Opera House and London Sinfonietta, the BBC (Ghostwatch – presenter), Channel 4 (Stalking Pete Doherty – presenter) and has directed and produced live opera for film and stage (St John’s Smith Square) and was poetry advisor to Harold Pinter’s Production of Time Regained at the National Theatre, directed by Di Trevis. His appearances include Southwark Playhouse, King’s Place, The London Sinfonietta, The ICA, Cafe de Paris and Chelsea Theatre and he has also published two volumes of poetry; Rave and Apocalypse Calypso; and a CD of spoken word – Quest. He is currently working on two new shows exclusively for Seven Stars, Noel and Marlene and The Oscar Wilde Mysteries. Graham teaches High Comedy at LAMDA for the MA in Classical Acting.
Theo May
Violinist & composer
Theo May has always had his own, idiosyncratic approach to music-making. This creative sensibility has been directly informed by independent discovery, with intuition at its core. Although his primary focus is composition, playing the violin has always been extremely important to him and it is this practical approach to musical creativity which continues to inform and nourish his own music making.
Formal musical guidance came initially from the South West Music School, and it was during this time that Theo first had the chance to work with Keith and Julie Tippetts, musicians who have been deeply influential and supportive to him. In 2014 Theo began studying composition and violin at the Purcell School of Music, and in 2016 began studying composition at the Royal College of Music with Mark-Anthony Turnage. In the next year a new recording of improvised music with the Keith and Julie is planned, as well as the launch of his new suite for String quartet, ‘Lost Paths’.
Rowan Hudson
Jazz pianist & composer
Rowan Hudson is a pianist and composer working within Jazz and Minimalist music. Moving to London in mid-2011, he studied Jazz at Middlesex University and since then has formed several groups and played with some of London’s leading musicians as well as touring Germany and the UK.
His main creative outlet is his Passing Ships, a 5 piece group put together to perform his music. As well this Rowan leads his own Piano trio featuring JJ Stillwell (Bass) and Angus Bishop (Drums). He also plays in the 6 piece Jazz group Nattacackle and works as the pianist for the singer Richard Hadfield.
His debut album Passing Ships was released in spring 2019.
Elena Lorenzi
Vocalist
Singer and composer Elena Lorenzi was born in Brescia, Italy and received a Diploma in Opera Singing from the Luca Marenzio Conservatorio, where she studied with Silvia Dalla Benetta. In 2009 she graduated from Bologna University, and in 2012, Elena won a scholarship to study pop song interpretation at the Centro Europeo di Toscolano (CET), the prestigious school headed by the Italian songwriter Mogol. She founded the project “Down To Myself”, in collaboration with the composer Sebastiano Della Bianchina, and they compose original soundtracks for shortfilms, commercials and web series.
Elena performs regularly in different styles with a special focus on French chansons, German cabaret, musicals and popular music. She is the creator of Classic Cabaret, Paris Mon Amour and Cabaret Beyond Borders for 7 Star Arts, in which she performs with pianist Stefano Marzanni.
Stefano Marzanni
Pianist
Pianist Stefano Marzanni has performed regularly across Europe and is currently studying at the Royal College of Music, London for a Master of Performance with Dina Parakhina. His studies have been generously supported by a Kenneth and Violet Scott Award and Stefano is currently an RCM Award Holder supported by a Pidem Foundation Award.
Stefano performs regularly as a pop and jazz pianist. He began his jazz studies with Roberto Soggetti in 2007; in 2008 he attended the prestigious summer jazz workshops in Siena, Italy, studying with internationally renowned jazz pianists Paolo Birro and Stefano Battaglia. In 2012, Stefano won a scholarship and was invited to study pop song composition at the Centro Europeo di Toscolano (CET), the prestigious school headed by the Italian songwriter Mogol.
Stefano performs with Elena dtm Lorenzi in 7 Star Arts’ Classic Cabaret, Paris Mon Amour and Cabaret Beyond Borders.