Kerenza Peacock

Violinist Kerenza Peacock displays remarkable range, moving fluidly between traditional classical orchestral and chamber works, modern compositions, multiple pop styles, stage musicals, and bluegrass traditions. Several albums devoted to composer Oliver Davis feature her performances.

Born September 24, 1979, in Ipswich, Suffolk, Peacock carries a Cornish name signifying love and affection. She began violin lessons at age three; at ten she joined the Junior Department of London’s Royal Academy of Music while still a pupil at Ipswich High School. For two seasons she played in the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain. Full-time enrollment at the Royal Academy began in 1998; within days of arrival she and three colleagues established the Pavao Quartet. The ensemble soon performed in leading British venues and toured Poland, Syria, and China. After graduation the players received a two-year appointment as Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellows at the Academy. Their first recording, the 2006 album Someone to Watch Over Me, earned approval from George Gershwin’s nephew for its fresh Gershwin arrangements.

Peacock simultaneously pursued a wide-ranging solo path. She performed and recorded Vivaldi’s Four Seasons and appeared as soloist with the Trafalgar Sinfonia. Her own debut album, Flight, appeared in 2015 and contained concertos Oliver Davis wrote for her. Additional credits include pop projects with Tony Bennett, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga’s Born This Way, and Pink, plus orchestral work for numerous West End musical productions. When the Pavao Quartet scaled back engagements in the early 2010s, Peacock’s musical activities broadened further. After relocating to Los Angeles she visited Nashville to study bluegrass fiddling and joined The Coal Porters, contributing both violin and original songs. Signum Classics issued further recordings of Davis’s music, among them Air in 2022. Her discography by then encompassed roughly ninety albums.