The violinist was a founding member of the quartet Stringfever, famous for its video with all four members playing Ravel’s Bolero on one cello

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Giles Broadbent | stringfever.co.uk

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British violinist Giles Broadbent has died at the age of 51, following a short illness. He was a founding member of the electric string quartet Stringfever.

’Although Giles had not been well recently, we as a family are still in shock at his passing. The band will be taking a break whilst we make funeral arrangements,’ said the Broadbent family and Stringfever in a statement.

Broadbent studied at the Royal Academy of Music and went on to lead orchestras of several shows in London’s West End, including Sunset Boulevard, The Phantom of the Opera and My Fair Lady.

In 2003 he formed  Stringfever with his brothers Ralph and Neal and cousin Graham. Described as ‘the Rock Stars of classical music’ they played live shows all over the globe, completing almost 20 US tours and appeared on BBC Radio 2’s Friday Night is Music Night, alongside multiple other performances on television and radio. Stringfever’s version of Ravel’s Bolero, where all four players uniquely play on one cello simultaneously, has had more than a million hits on YouTube.

In 2015 both Giles and Ralph Broadbent were awarded the title of ARAM (Associate of the Royal Academy of Music), presented to alumni who have significantly contributed to and impacted the music profession.

Broadbent is survived by his wife, the television presenter, broadcaster and former Blue Peter star Diane Louise Jordan and their daughter and grandchildren.

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