Chaos Collective, formed in 2022, is a Norfolk based flexible ensemble with a core group of regular players. Primarily a string quartet, the ensemble has expanded up to orchestral performances, and also contracted down to duo size. The aim of the ensemble is to embrace many different disciplines and encompass many different forms of music. Their programmes have included disparate works including Mozart, Beethoven, Shostakovich, reworked pop and rock songs, film music and folk music, giving their performances an eclectic appeal, and more recently they have performed many ‘Concerts by Candlelight’ for Fever.
The ensemble has performed alongside musicians including Roger Eno, Robert Cohen and Steve Burnard, and have collaborated with contemporary composers including James McConnel, Sarah Rodgers and Roger Eno. In 2025 Chaos developed it’s own new multimedia work titled ‘Glaven Rhapsody’, incorporating film, electric and acoustic instruments, spoken word, live performance and pre-recorded soundscape.
Alongside pianist Brenda Blewett, an accompanist at Chethams School of Music for many years, Chaos Collective has founded a summer festival based in North Norfolk. The inaugural Five Churches Festival took place in July 2023 and included pieces such as the Elgar Piano Quintet and Vivaldi’s Four Seasons with violinist Ben Holland. In 2026 the festival will include a performance of Brahms String Sextet No.2 with Guy Johnston.
A new piece commissioned by James McConnel with a working title of ‘Chaos and Control’ is awaiting funding for potential future performances. The piece will be be inspired by James’ own experience of having Tourettes.
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Rachel Stacy
Rachel is a freelance viola player who divides her time between modern and period performance. She received a scholarship to study at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, and also studied at the Royal College of Music, London. She has performed with ensembles such as the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra amongst others, including performances at the BBC Proms, and concerts in the Palace of Versailles, France; Royal Opera House in Muscat, Oman; and Verbrugghen Hall, Sydney.
Rachel has been a member of the orchestra in the Thursford Christmas Spectacular – Europe’s largest Christmas variety show – since 2013, totalling over 800 performances.
Rachel has a passion for period performance, and enjoys performing regularly with ensembles such as Norwich Baroque and Florilegium.
In 2023 Rachel curated a viola festival in collaboration with the Belfry Arts Centre, Overstrand, which included a solo recital in which she performed on 3 different instruments; baroque viola, classical viola and electric viola. She plays on a viola made for her by Norfolk based Dota Williams.
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Ivan McCready
After graduating from the Royal Academy of Music, Ivan performed for twenty years with the Duke Quartet. They recorded for Factory Records, Collins Classics and Naxos and were voted ‘Best Newcomer of the Year’ at the Cannes Classical Music Awards. The Duke Quartet also toured with the award-winning European dance company Rosas and recorded and toured with bands including The Pretenders, Blur, The Cranberries and The Corrs. They were resident at Trinity College, Oxford, for many years.
In 2001 Ivan left the quartet to undertake other projects including a residency with the Swiss Theater St Gallen Dance Company, performing solo cello and vocals. In the following years he also toured with artists such as Pete Doherty.
Ivan also performs with his daughter, singer-songwriter and actor Ella McCready.
Ivan was awarded the prestigious title of A.R.A.M. (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music), which is an accolade presented to alumni who have significantly contributed to and impacted the music profession. He plays on a cello made for him in 2001 by Kai-Thomas Roth.
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Freya Goldmark
Freya Goldmark (b. 1996) is a British violinist celebrated for her dynamic career as a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic director. Known for her passion, artistry, and adventurous programming, she has appeared on stages across the UK, Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
A Classic FM Rising Star 2025, the past 18 months have been a defining chapter in Freya’s career. She made her solo debut with the BBC Philharmonic and her Barbican concerto debut. In September 2025 she made her solo commercial recording debut with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, recording a new concerto written for her, to be released in 2026 on Decca Records.
Since 2022, Freya has been first violinist of the Ligeti Quartet, one of the UK’s leading voices in contemporary music. With the quartet, she has performed and taught widely across the UK and internationally, from the Barbican and Aldeburgh Festival to Brooklyn’s Long Play Festival and Bogotá, Colombia. Upcoming highlights include performances in China, The Hague, and Luxembourg.
An in-demand chamber musician, Freya is a regular guest with leading ensembles including Scottish Ensemble and London Sinfonietta. Alongside her classical work, Freya is also an in-demand session musician for film, television, and pop artists. A 2025 highlight was touring and recording with Britpop legends Pulp.
Beyond performing, Freya is committed to bringing music to diverse audiences. At 19, she founded the Stamford International Music Festival - www.simfestival.com. Away from performing, Freya lives by the sea in North Norfolk with her dog, Hockney.
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Clare Hayes
Clare Hayes studied the violin at the Royal Academy of Music with Winifred Roberts and Erich Gruenberg, and received chamber music coaching from the Amadeus Quartet on a Leverhulme Scholarship. She was later awarded the honorary title ARAM for significant contributions to the music profession.
She was a member of the Grammy nominated Emperor String Quartet since the group was formed in 1992. Following their success as the first British quartet to win the Evian/Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, they performed at major festivals in the UK and abroad, broadcasting regularly for the BBC. The quartet have released critically acclaimed CDs of the music of Britten, Martinu and James MacMillan, as well as a recording of the Walton string quartets, for which they received their Grammy nomination.
They have also performed on several film tracks, notably There Will Be Blood and Norwegian Wood (both written by Jonny Greenwood of Radiohead).
Clare has a busy and varied freelance career playing regularly with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the London Mozart Players and the City of London Sinfonia. She also frequently takes part in commercial sessions recording film tracks and pop and has toured andrecorded with Peter Gabriel.
She lives in rural Hertfordshire.