Max Baillie is a London-based violinist and violist. His musical life reflects his interest in the cross-pollination of musical styles. He has performed with Tuareg nomads at the Festival du Desert outside of Timbuktou, led Bjork’s string orchestra in the Albert Hall, and dueted with Bobby McFerrin in New York. Max plays in ZRI, a quintet drawing together the folk and gypsy influences in works by Brahms, Schubert, and Janacek. The group has played at festivals across the UK and most recently appeared on Swiss radio at the Boswil Sommerfest, Switzerland. Max founded Lodestar Trio which plays Baroque music in a trio of violin, Swedish nyckelharpa, and Norwegian hardanger fiddle. He is a regular at chamber music festivals in the UK and abroad, and has a duo with his father, cellist Alexander Baillie. For a decade Max has worked with contemporary music and improvisation group Notes Inegales. Max regularly leads Swiss chamber orchestra CHAARTS including tours of China and Switzerland, appearing with Mischa Maisky, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, and Fazil Say, and recording for Sony. He also looks forward to leading the Baroque ensemble Arcangelo at the Barbican in 2020. Max plays the mandolin and has a Political Philosophy degree from Christ’s College, Cambridge. www.maxbaillie.com