members:
Gill Austin - violin
Paul Costin - violin
Paul Appleyard - viola
Diane Porteus - cello

The sole aim of the string quartet STATUS CYMBAL is to delight. Since inception in 1988, all kinds of audiences have been beguiled by our unique blend of musical styles, from established classical works through operetta, musical comedy and jazz to witty and sparkling arrangements of the latest in popular music.

Mastery of this wide repertoire stems from formative days when the members were all principal players in the New Scarborough Spa Orchestra, which, following in the footsteps of the famous Max Jaffa Orchestra, gave summer seasons of regular concerts in the celebrated Yorkshire resort. Playing as the Scarborough Spa Quartet, the ensemble soon gained prestige engagements throughout Britain and abroad. In 1992, in response to this ever-widening demand, the members left the orchestra to concentrate on developing their careers as a quartet. The current name was adopted at that time.

The STATUS CYMBAL approach to popular music is both refreshing and adventurous. From the beginning, work from some of Britain's finest string arrangers was commissioned, so that our unrivalled library now extends from Bach to Rock via Strau§, Gershwin, Bernstein, Duke Ellington, the Beatles, Abba, the Carpenters, Led Zeppelin and Queen, to name but a few. The haunting and the beautiful, the lively, the tearful, the passionate and the humorous, all can be heard in a STATUS CYMBAL recital. Our motto is variety, originality and entertainment.

In addition to concert work, STATUS CYMBAL plays regularly in hotels, Livery and Banqueting halls, stately homes and a variety of other, more unusual venues, even including a building site! We have also performed at a multitude of private and corporate functions, including several organised by the British Tourist Board and the English Tourist Authority. Radio and TV credits include the BBC Radio 2 Arts Programme and Central TV's prime-time network show "Pot of Gold", hosted by Des O'Connor.

STATUS CYMBAL is highly mobile, appearing throughout Britain and performing regularly on Brittany Ferries, both on its high-season cross-channel routes and Xmas and New Year mini-cruises. During a two-month Alaskan contract, on the Holland-America cruiseship the Ms Noordam, passengers voted us near-perfect marks in a customer satisfaction survey. As a result we have been able to extend our shipboard activities, spending four months in winter 97-98 on cruises out of Florida and Puerto Rico for both Holland-America and Princess Cruises. More recently we have taken in the US West Coast and the Mediterranean, with a return trip to Alaska in the summer of 1999.

So, whether it is a concert, conference or wedding, a special party, a corporate event or a banquet, playing the works of the classical masters or music from our unique arrangement repertoire, STATUS CYMBAL will be delighted to entertain you.