Svyati Duo

Consisting of cellist Rebecca Hepplewhite (Rebecca Hewes) and organist Julian Collings, Svyati Duo take their name from their first collaboration as cellist and conductor in a performance of Tavener's masterpiece Svyati for choir and cello solo. They have since become recognised as one of the world's leading cello and organ duos, receiving international critical acclaim for their concerts and recordings.

Sir John Tavener became their patron in 2009, and remained so until his death last year, when they gave a special performance of 'Svyati' in his memory. Rebecca and Julian pursue a busy concert schedule, taking their seldom heard instrumental combination to venues across the United Kingdom, Europe, Asia and the United States of America.

The duo maintains a diverse and exciting repertoire, ranging from baroque sonatas through to substantial romantic and contemporary works. Their tireless search for repertoire has rewarded them with many unjustly neglected works, and they have also commissioned several new pieces including 'Invisible Landscapes' (Russell Hepplewhite 2009), 'Vitis Flexuosa' (Timothy Salter 2010) a substantial new Sonata (David Bednall 2011), a Suite entitled 'Blue Grooves' (Iain Farrington 2013) and 'Ruminations' by Colin Riley (2014). They have also released two critically-acclaimed recordings on the Regent Records label.