Our Leader

Edward Boothroyd

For many years Edward has been an active musician in Derbyshire, principally as a violinist - he has completed nearly thirteen years as leader of the Chesterfield Symphony Orchestra - but also as a teacher, coach and conductor. In this last capacity he was principal conductor of the North East Derbyshire Music Centre's Senior Youth Orchestra from 1978 to 1997, working amongst others with the contralto Catherine Wyn-Rogers and Peter Cropper of the Lindsay String Quartet. He established the Music Centre's Chamber Orchestra in 1997 and conducted it until 2007; with them he toured Darmstadt, New York, Vienna and Prague.

Edward was instrumental in establishing Derbyshire's County Youth Orchestra and coached the violin sections for many years and from 1999 to 2006 conducted the County Intermediate Youth Orchestra on its twice-yearly courses. Although not teaching the violin so much these days, he still plays a great deal and can be found most weekends in gracious country house hotels providing background music for weddings with his string quartet 'A Touch of Class'.