I was introduced to a top notch act at LeWeb in Paris this past December. Four girls, who exude sex appeal on the stage call themselves ESCALA.
Fusing contemporary sounds with classical instruments, the all women electric string quartet ESCALA are talented, dedicated and disciplined musicians who studied at London’s most prestigious music colleges.
The four girls became close friends after being recruited as part of a large string section for a UK arena tour by boyband McFly, and decided to work together to create a new musical phenomenon.
After entering Britain’s Got Talent 2008, performing in front of 14 million viewers on the show’s final, the band were signed by Simon Cowell to company, Syco Entertainment.
Escala are serious about their music, playing both acoustic and electric instruments and bringing stylish high-octane showmanship to their performances.
With their unique formula of fun and integrity, the girls believe their approach will encourage many (in particular the young) to overcome prejudices about classical instruments. I agree.
The international appeal for their contemporary sound has seen them travel the globe over the past 2 years including appearances such as Oprah & The Today Show in the US, Children in Need and opening Sweden’s Pink Ribbon Gala.
A bit about the girls: Victoria Lyon is the great-great-grand-daughter of the renowned 19th century opera singer, Jenny Lind, known as “The Swedish Nightingale” and Izzy Johnston, who gained a full scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, is also from an extremely musical family.
Tasya Hodges, who speaks four languages, was born in England but is half Croatian. Passionate about music from an early age, she started playing the cello whilst living in Croatia and then later won a scholarship to study at the Yehudi Menuhin School in Surrey, England. Chantal Leverton, who took up music at age seven, was a member of the prestigious National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, before she won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music.
Below are some snapshots to get a sense of their glamorous and yet fun style on stage.
See below a few short video snippets of their performance. Find out where they’re playing and go see them – there’s nothing like seeing them live:
Renee Blodgett is the founder of We Blog the World. The site combines the magic of an online culture and travel magazine with a global blog network and has contributors from every continent in the world. Having lived in 10 countries and explored nearly 80, she is an avid traveler, and a lover, observer and participant in cultural diversity.
She is also the CEO and founder of Magic Sauce Media, a new media services consultancy focused on viral marketing, social media, branding, events and PR. For over 20 years, she has helped companies from 12 countries get traction in the market. Known for her global and organic approach to product and corporate launches, Renee practices what she pitches and as an active user of social media, she helps clients navigate digital waters from around the world. Renee has been blogging for over 16 years and regularly writes on her personal blog Down the Avenue, Huffington Post, BlogHer, We Blog the World and other sites. She was ranked #12 Social Media Influencer by Forbes Magazine and is listed as a new media influencer and game changer on various sites and books on the new media revolution. In 2013, she was listed as the 6th most influential woman in social media by Forbes Magazine on a Top 20 List.
Her passion for art, storytelling and photography led to the launch of Magic Sauce Photography, which is a visual extension of her writing, the result of which has led to producing six photo books: Galapagos Islands, London, South Africa, Rome, Urbanization and Ecuador.
Renee is also the co-founder of Traveling Geeks, an initiative that brings entrepreneurs, thought leaders, bloggers, creators, curators and influencers to other countries to share and learn from peers, governments, corporations, and the general public in order to educate, share, evaluate, and promote innovative technologies.
