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FourPlay member biographies
Click on one of our pictures to display the relevant bio!
Note: See the About FourPlay page for a note on personnel changes through the band's history.
Lara Goodridge (violin & vocals)
Lara began playing violin when she was 3½, initially training in the Suzuki Method. She graduated through the Conservatorium Junior School and performed in the Sydney Youth Orchestra all the way through primary school. She then studied at the Conservatorium High School until she began her career in professional music.
As well as being a member of FourPlay, Lara has performed in folk pop duo Joy & Lara and chamber pop group Peccadillo. She is a highly sought after session musician who has contributed vocals and violin to many recordings of diverse genres. Some examples are Grammy Award winning producer Larry Klein (Joni Mitchell), pop group The Whitlams, electro pop producer Josh Abrahams, Bill Callahan (SMOG) and Josh Pyke, Australian country singer James Blundell, acoustic blues acts Karma County and Jimmy Little, live dub/dance outfit Juju Space Jazz, funk group Skunkhour, Gerling. She has opened shows for The Corrs, Savage Garden, Youssou N'Dour, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Art Garfunkel, Lunasa, Leo Kottke, Luka Bloom, to name a few. She also enjoys singing songs in Russian, Yiddish, French and English.
Lara also has a strong background doing session work in theatre and film soundtracks working on Baz Luhrman films (guide vocals for Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge) and the plays The Recruiting Officer (Sydney Theatre Company) and The Little Cherry Orchard (Belvoir Street).
Lara holds a masters in French, a bachelor degree in Russian, French and Spanish and a diploma of languages in Yiddish. In 2003, Lara founded a record label called Craving Records, to foster the talents of local female singers and songwriters and has traveled to the States repeatedly with her artists to pursue international endeavours. Craving Records is an ongoing and expanding project.
Tim Hollo (viola & vocals)
Commencing violin studies at the age of 6, Tim’s major achievements in classical music include winning the Charles Mackerras Music scholarship to Sydney Grammar School, being awarded AMusA on violin in 1991, being appointed principal viola and sectional tutor of the SBS Youth Orchestra from 1996 to 1998, and being selected for membership of the Australian Youth Orchestra (1994-1996).
Session work as an individual and with FourPlay includes recordings and live appearances with: The Whitlams, Jodi Phillis, george, David Lane, Jimmy Little, Stiff Gins, Karma County, Deborah Conway, Primary, Paul Mac and Paul McDermott, Glovebox, Max Sharam, The Klezmer Extravaganza Orchestra, Company B Belvoir, the Sydney Theatre Company and many, many more.
Tim is a committed environmentalist, campaigning on climate change since 2000 for the Nature Conservation Council of NSW, Greenpeace Australia Pacific and The Greens. Tim’s impetus led to FourPlay’s efforts to reduce our environment impact, in particular investing in renewable energy and energy efficiency through www.climatefriendly.com to offset the greenhouse pollution of Now to the Future. He graduated with First Class Honours in Theatre and Bachelor of Laws from UNSW in 2000 and Masters of Environmental Law from Sydney University in 2006.
Tim’s passion for theatre combined with his love for music led to him Directing and Musical Directing various plays and musicals such as The Threepenny Opera and Guys and Dolls for the NSW University Theatrical Society and the Footlight Theatre Company.
Tim’s proudest creative achievements, however, are his two beautiful daughters, Maxie and Amelia, both of whom are showing budding talent as performers!
Shenton Gregory aka Shenzo Gregorio (viola and vocals)
Winner of the 2002 Adelaide Fringe best show award for composition and performance in the play The Secret Death of Salvador Dali, Shenton has performed as a multi-instrumentalist/composer/arranger/music director/actor in all manner of professional productions nationally and overseas. His performances with two-times Aria award winners Monsieur Camembert have seen him perform at the Montreaux Jazz Festival, Paris, Hong Kong, Singapore and major festivals across Australia. Currently a full-time member of the Sydney string quartet FourPlay (oh wait - you knew that), Shenton continues to be at the top of his field in jazz, rock and world music styles not just on violin but also on viola with this dynamic string ensemble.
The Secret Death of Salvador Dali, in which he performed alongside two of Australia's prominent actors, has been hailed as one of Australia's most successful plays, with productions in Brisbane, Adelaide, Edinburgh, London, Sydney, Albury and Lismore.
In 2000 Shenton created Shenzo's Electric Stunt Orchestra which has gone on to perform approx 250 shows in festivals across the nation and on live national TV. Featuring musicians hung from wires, playing upside-down and literally flying around the venue, it has to be seen to be believed.
He has also performed and or recorded with Natalie Cole, Amanda Muggleton, Josh Abrahams, Lydon Terracini, Katie Noonon, Doch Gypsy Orchestra, Smokey Dawson, Billie Brown and Bermuda's top percussionist Keith Caisey.
For any further info you can visit www.shenzo.com (currently down, back in action very soon!)
Peter Hollo (cello & vocals)
Peter has been playing music since the age of six and cello since he was eight. He received his LMusA on cello in 1994. Peter was lead cellist and sectional tutor in the SBS Youth Orchestra for many years, and played in the Australian Youth Orchestra (1995-1996) as well as in the Camerata of the AYO in 1996.
Peter has recorded and played live with many groups including (but not limited to): Shoeb Ahmad, Oren Ambarchi, Deborah Conway, Funkenbubble, Gauche, Gerling, Glovebox, the Hinterlandt Arkestra, Karma County, Jimmy Little, Monsieur Camembert, Ollo, Paul Mac, Purdy, Saddleback, Skunkhour, the Stiff Gins, Sub Bass Snarl, Holly Throsby, Tooth, Waikiki, the Whitlams, X and many more.
Peter was responsible for putting together the groundbreaking FourPlay remix project Digital Manipulation, and writes and DJs electronic music as Raven, in a style he likes to call "glitch'n'bass".
On Sunday nights Peter hosts a 3-hour show on Sydney's FBi Radio called Utility Fog, which explores “postfolkrocktronica” (a term he's created to cover music from post-rock to experimental electronica, especially music on the cusp between digital and acoustic). He also writes music reviews for Sydney-based electronic music magazine Cyclic Defrost.
Peter has completed a BSc/BA from UNSW — gaining first class honours in Philosophy and Pure Maths in 1996 — and is also a qualified book editor. Outside of music, he is web services manager at a respected medical journal. Peter is also responsible for the creation and upkeep of the FourPlay webpages, and administers the server that hosts it along with various other sites. As well as putting up the Utility Fog playlists in realtime each Sunday night, Peter also has a weblog where he posts interesting links, stories and thoughts on politics, philosophy, science, the environment, music and more, as well as reviews (when he can find the time) of books (particularly sf) and music.
