On 19th February 2027 we welcome Tunnell Trust prizewinners CATIL Wind Quintet. Formed in 2022 by alumni of the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, these five musicians from the UK, France and Hong Kong are driven by a shared passion for chamber music and a commitment to accessibility.
CATIL Quintet has performed at esteemed venues including LSO St Luke’s and Guildhall Chamber Festival, and are recipients of several accolades including the Guildhall Oboe & Bassoon Prize and the Guildhall Needlemakers Woodwind Prize. The group is deeply invested in education work, regularly collaborating with schools and youth organisations. Through their dynamic programming and commitment to accessibility, CATIL Quintet seeks to celebrate the richness of wind repertoire while engaging new audiences and inspiring the next generation of musicians.
Oboist and cor anglais player Charis Lai, originally from Hong Kong, is now London-based. She was a Junior Fellow at Guildhall (2024-2025) and the Orpheus Sinfonia Foundation Programme (2024-2025), and recipient of the Guildhall Cor Anglais and oboe Prize (2022 & 2023). Charis has participated in a range of prestigious festivals and courses, and has performed with the Philharmonia Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra, Thames Sinfonia, and Sinfonia Smith Square.
Alex Ho is a flute and piccolo player from Hong Kong. Since starting his studies in London in 2022, he has won numerous accolades including the GSMD Needlemakers’ Woodwind Prize 2023 and The Sixth Sense Grand Prix 2024 (Japan) in Tokyo; winning the 1st prize of winds chamber division and Overall Grand Prix. Ho’s orchestral collaborations include Macao Orchestra, London Symphony Orchestra, Asian Youth Orchestra, while in 2025-2027 he is principal flute in the Young Musicians Symphony Orchestra in London.
Bassoonist Thaïs Bordes, originally from Toulouse, France, studied at the Pôle d’Enseignement Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Bordeaux prior to completing a Master’s degree in Orchestral Artistry at Guildhall SMD, where she has been working as a Junior Fellow since September 2024. Thaïs has performed with orchestras including the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, the Opéra National de Bordeaux, the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.
Isabella Ackland (French Horn) grew up and had a distinguished student career at the Royal Academy of Music and Guildhall School of Music and Drama. Chamber music is central to Isabella’s career and as well as performing regularly with CATIL Quintet, she is also a member of esteemed flexi-ensemble, Meliora Collective. She freelances with orchestras such as Philharmonia Orchestra, London Concert Orchestra and Britten Sinfonia, as guest principal.
Clarinettist Lily Payne was awarded direct second year entry to the Guildhall School of Music & Drama, she graduated in 2025 with First Class Honours. Lily made her concerto debut performing Copland’s Clarinet Concerto at the Cadogan Hall, and has also appeared at Wigmore Hall playing Debussy’s Première Rhapsodie. As part of Pierre Boulez’s centenary celebrations, she performed ‘Domaines’ for solo clarinet live on BBC Radio 3.
Music in West Kilbride 