James Toll graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music in 2010, and has since performed and recorded with many of Europe’s finest ensembles using both historical and modern instruments. He has appeared as leader with Academy of Ancient Music, Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, Arcangelo, Classical Opera Company, Alison Balsom Ensemble, Solomon’s Knot, and Instruments of Time & Truth; and as leader and director for major pop artists including Eminem, Architects, Alter Bridge, Bring Me The Horizon, Clean Bandit, and Sting, among others.

As a chamber musician James has travelled internationally and performed at many of the world’s great chamber music festivals, including Göttingen Handel Festival, Halle Handel Festival, Leipzig Bachfest, Bachseminar Arnstadt, Edinburgh, Newbury Spring Festival, Ryedale, Spitalfields, Shanghai, Seoul, New York, West Cork (Ireland), and with the Dante Quartet, Arcangelo, and London Classical Trio. More recently James performed Max Richter’s Four Seasons as part of a theatre piece at Shakespeare’s Globe, playing in more than fifty performances over two months.

James took up the position of Head of Strings at Winchester College in September 2019. If you look closely you might find him dragging his aged dog across flooded playing fields.