The Himley Duo was formed in 2010 by violinist Anna Downes and pianist Tony Bridgewater, both former Directors of Music at Old Swinford Hospital, a boarding school in the West Midlands.

 

Since their formation the Himley Duo has given recitals across the central region of the UK and are now regulars on the concert club circuit at a variety of venues including St Alphege Solihull, St Andrew's Rugby, Great St Mary's Cambridge, The Gateway Theatre Shrewsbury, Great Witley Church in Worcestershire, St Mary's Stourbridge and St John's Hagley as part of the www.musicforsanctuary.org series. The Himley Duo have also appeared in the Espressivo recital series at the Lion Ballroom in Leominster,  in the Local and Live series at St James' Church, Wollaston, at St Mary Magdalene in Bridgnorth and at the United Reformed Church in Cambridge.

 

Both Anna and Tony are professional freelance musicians; Anna plays for various orchestras such as the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, City of London Sinfonia, English Symphony Orchestra and crossover work includes tours with the Limelight Orchestra and Down for the Count Swing Orchestra. She also manages and leads her own orchestra Central England Camerata which accompanies choral societies across the region and has recorded for British composers and for film. Anna founded Music for Sanctuary in 2019, an organisation which raises money for homeless charities. To date £22,000 has been raised. 

 

Tony gives regular recitals as an accompanist and soloist, and appears frequently in concert series in Cambridge, Rugby, Solihull, Shrewsbury, Bewdley, Birmingham and Stourbridge. In September 2016 he was  appointed Principal Accompanist for the Kidderminster Male Choir.

 

       He has composed music for Orchestra, Concertband and Choir, and sonatas for piano, violin, trumpet and cello. He gave the first performance of his Second Piano Concerto in February 2010, and conducted the premiere of his Double Concerto for Flute and Clarinet in February 2013. In November 2015, the pianist Margaret Fingerhut gave the first performance of his Concert Piece for piano and orchestra , and in July 2016 Anna Downes gave the first performances of his second violin sonata. In March 2017 he conducted the premiere of his fifteen minute tone poem for orchestra ‘The Legend of the Tamar’.  Other recent premieres include his 'Suite for Oboe and Piano', 'Memories of Scotland' for violin and piano, Quintet for Winds and the song cycles 'The Other Side of a Mirror' and 'Snowflakes.

Between 2014 and 2021, Tony was the principal conductor of the National Flute Orchestra and 

Since  2021 Tony has been conductor of the Wyre Forest Symphony Orchestra.