"a fantastic quartet....lovely people and what a rapport with the youngsters and also later for our evening concert.... makes my job as concert secretary a real pleasure. "
Gordon Wemyss, Stranraer Music for All, March 2026
"another tremendous concert and a wonderful evening with such great people. We were all amazed at the range and depth exhibited by them all and what a joy to witness the pleasure they all took in playing for us. A number of folks also mentioned how impressed they were at the interaction which took place between the players as well as the playing - this encouraged me a lot as for many this is the only classical music they are exposed to so for them to start to see what real quality takes to produce is terrific. Overall another memorable concert.... one lady as she was leaving said she wanted them back right now - praise indeed from a rather formidable Yorkshire woman!"
Music@Junction50, Thirsk, 19 June 2025
"how wonderfully refreshing it was to host the Silver Keys Clarinet Quartet. They were an utter delight throughout from the moment they arrived. Their performance was dynamic and their programme eclectic and extensive. They were a wonderful way to conclude our 73rd Season. "
Vanda Mercer, Hawick Music Club, 26 April 2025
"The interactive workshop at West Kilbride Primary School went extremely well. They gave off such an air of happiness and enthusiasm which carried the children along. The children were enthralled and participated well. The group also dealt very sensitively with questions asked by the pupils. The four big kids from the MiWK committee who attended also thoroughly enjoyed themselves!
What a delightful concert The Silver Keys gave MiWK later that day. They are amazingly accomplished players and the joy and enthusiasm they have in the music they are playing was infectious and audience was under their spell from the very start. Everyone there was completely impressed by their energy, humour and musicality. Audience members singled out The Hungarian Dances spliced with Rhapsody in Blue, Immer Kleiner (described by one audience member as “hilariously wonderful”) and the splendid arrangement of Loch Lomond that closed the concert as highlights. However, they really like it all!"
Music in West Kilbride 21/03/25
"Absolutely loved it. What an amazing dynamic and eclectic concert!"
"I can't believe this high level of quality live music came to Hawick"
"The most impressive and most fun concert I've ever been to!"
"Bloody fantastic"
Hawick Music Club feedback, 26 April 2025
The Silver Keys / clarinet quartet
Please contact daisy@classicalmusiciansscotland.com for more information or to book The Silver Keys.
Providing an afternoon/evening of chamber music or wedding repertoire from classical to contemporary, The Silver Keys is an international clarinet quartet based in Central Scotland. (E flat clarinet, 2 B flat clarinets, and a bass clarinet).
The founding members – Laura Thomson, Jaimee Forsyth, Osian Penry Dance, and Paweł Jaworski – met in 2018 when they were all students at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland under the tutelage of John Cushing, former principal clarinettist of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra. Laura and Paweł are now joined by Jennifer and Matas. As each of the members are from different backgrounds: Scottish, American, English, Lithuanian and Polish, their passion is delving into the different traditions of music from all over the world and sharing it with a diverse range of audiences.
Laura Thomson is a Scottish-American clarinetist who is passionate about exploring all styles of music and building a more inclusive community of the arts.
As a dedicated soloist and chamber musician, Laura has already received numerous awards and honours. Most recently, she received the 2022 Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s Alumni “Make It Happen” Award. While completing her Master of Music at the RCS she was Highly Commended in the 2019 Governors’ Woodwind Recital Competition as well as being a finalist in the 2018 Classical Concerto Competition.
In addition to performing with the Silver Keys, as a soloist she has performed with Glasgow Symphony Orchestra, Perth Symphony Orchestra, the Band of the Royal Regiment of Scotland and for the Musica Scotica Celebration of Sir James MacMillan. As an avid performer of contemporary music, she was a member of the American Modern Orchestra for the inaugural Mostly Modern Festival during the summer of 2018.
Laura holds a Master of Music from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and a Bachelor of Music with a Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Her primary teachers have been John Cushing, Kenneth Grant and Luiz Coelho.
Paweł Jaworski is a Polish clarinetist and music tutor. Pawel graduated from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland where he achieved a Bachelor of Music degree with Honours (2017) and Masters of Music Performance degree (2019). He was awarded an RCS Trust Postgraduate Scholarship to commence his Master of Music degree. He also won a Help Musicians UK Postgraduate Award. He is currently the Clarinet and Piano tutor at the Borders School of Music. As a soloist, Paweł has performed with the RCS Symphony as winner of the Classical Concerto Competition. He also currently plays with the Scotland Chamber Orchestra as well as other major orchestras in Scotland.
Aaron Hartnell-Booth is a Glasgow-based clarinettist, originally from Rochdale. He regularly plays for the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra, and Scottish Ballet, and has also played with other UK orchestras including the Hallé, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Opera North, Welsh National Opera, and more.
Aaron gained his master’s degree in clarinet performance from the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where he studied with John Cushing. He also holds a master’s degree in physics, and, for fun, likes to repair mechanical clocks and build homemade extensions for the contrabass clarinet.
Jennifer Moss is delighted to be the newest player of the The Silver Keys. After previously living in Manchester, she now enjoys exploring a new music scene in Glasgow. As a musician, she loves to combine her experience as an educator and performer for organisations such as the Benedetti Foundation, the Nevis Ensemble, Awards for Young Musicians, and In Harmony Opera North, by working in community contexts to share access to the joy of music. Jennifer and her husband also perform as clarinet and cello ensemble, the Pancevski Duo, and she can sometimes be found in her living room playing the guitar very badly and pretending to be a singer-songwriter.
Performances:
2.30pm, Sunday 13 December 2026: Biggar Music Club
2pm, Friday 31 March 2028: Classic Music Live! Falkirk, Trinity Church, Falkirk
8.30pm, Saturday 11 April 2026, Linlithgow Arts Guild
Friday 13 March 2026: lunchtime workshop (Ryan Centre), evening concert (Stranraer Millennium Hall)
7pm, Thursday 19 June 2025: Thirsk, Music@Junction50
2.30pm, Monday 19 May 2025: Ross Priory (private event)
7pm, Saturday 26 April 2025: Hawick Music Club
7.30pm, Friday 21 March 2025: West Kilbride Village Hall, afternoon workshop at West Kilbride Primary School
