Born in England of British and Greek-Turkish parentage, Cara began playing the violin at the age of 7. She has since studied at Royal College of Music’s Junior Department, Guildhall School of Music and Drama and Oxford University, graduating with a first class music degree from Magdalen College. Cara has studied under Krysia Osostowicz, Laurence Dreyfus and Levine Andrade, and has been fortunate to play in masterclasses with notable artists including Maxim Vengerov, Ivry Gitlis and Rachel Podger.
Cara has won numerous prizes and scholarships, including recently the Ahmet Ertegun scholarship, Vernon Ellis scholarship and a John Wates Foundation award.
One of Cara’s first orchestral experiences was as co-leader of the National Children’s Orchestra of Great Britain, where she won the Vivienne Price prize for an outstanding performance and discovered the enjoyment of playing in an orchestra. While studying at Oxford, Cara won an apprenticeship award to play with Oxford Philomusica, and now enjoys playing for concerts and recording sessions with many professional orchestras and chamber groups. She has played in some of Britain’s most prestigious concert venues, such as the Southbank Centre and the Barbican, and has toured internationally.
Cara’s recent solo appearances include concertos at Blenheim Palace, Christ Church Cathedral and St John’s Smith Square, and recitals at the Philippine Embassy and the Sheldonian Theatre Oxford. Cara also played for the Ashmolean Museum on the Beechback Stradivarius violin as part of their Stradivarius exhibition. Cara’s playing has been broadcast on both local BBC and international radio stations and on Austrian television.
Cara is passionate about chamber music and has played in masterclasses and concerts around Europe, including the Dante Quartet’s festival and Stift festival in the Netherlands.
Outside of music, Cara has a keen interest in art and literature and enjoys skiing.
Which three people, living or dead, would you most like to have dinner with?
Mozart – I feel that he would bring a sense of humanity, energy and a childish sense of humour that would spice up any dinner party. I think we might get on well!
Roald Dahl – for his imaginative and bizarre story-telling abilities and the quirky way his mind works.
Isadora Duncan – I am inspired by her unique and instinctive interpretation of classical music, using dancing as a form of listening, and would love to get to know one of the 20th century’s most beguiling personalities.
What’s on your playlist right now?
A real mix of things, from the earliest 20th century recordings made by violinists such as Kreisler and Sammons – which I find truly inspiring – to Enescu and Beyoncé.
Tell us something about yourself that might surprise us.
Aged 7, I was a mascot for Bognor Regis football team.