Biography

Asher was born in Edinburgh, he attended St Mary’s Music School and completed his undergraduate studies at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

He enjoys a versatile career as a chamber musician, regularly working with Hebrides Ensemble, Scottish Ensemble, 13 North and 12 Ensemble where he has appeared as a soloist. He was Violist of the Maxwell String Quartet and the Ruisi String Quartet, winning various awards with both including the Royal Philharmonic Society’s ‘Albert and Eugenie Frost Prize’ for chamber music in 2016.

Asher has established himself as a sought-after orchestral principal and has played guest principal viola with The Philharmonia, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Aurora Orchestra, BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and Royal Scottish National Orchestra. He is also a regular player with the John Wilson Orchestra and Sinfonia of London. He held the position of Assistant Principal Viola with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra between 2019-2023.

Asher enjoys performing challenging repertoire from memory. As a regular player with Aurora Orchestra for over 10 years, he has performed several works from memory including 4 Beethoven symphonies (3,5,6,7), Berlioz’s Symphony Fantastique and Stravinsky’s Firebird & The Rite of Spring.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award supported Asher’s studies at the Royal Academy of Music.