THE flamboyant virtuosity of classically trained Beverley Davison has earned her the title 'Diva of the Violin'.

Quietly spoken off stage on stage she becomes a volcanic personality cranking up the adrenalin with her unique style of musical dynamics.

Beverley will be appearing at the Wharf, Tavistock with her band Storm on Saturday, August 26 with a blistering set of highly original arrangements of classical and popular pieces.

'There is quite an eclectic mix of input. It comes from a basic real need to communicate what I felt the music was all about,' she says.

After years of restrained behaviour as part of classical orchestras Beverley felt a need to break away from the more orthodox way of presenting music.

The result is a 'toned down' rock/classical show.

'My concerts have the oomph that rock has but without the excess volume. It is beefy but not horribly blasting,' she says.

With fellow musicians Michael Haslam on keyboards, Alan Taylor on double bass and Robert Millett on percussion Beverley will be storming through works by such luminaries as Vivaldi and Bach, as well as modern classics by the Beatles and Queen.

By the time she was 25 Beverley had been through many sorts of music going from country to country where she played in chamber orchestras, and as a soloist.

'I suffered so badly from stage fright that it was undermining what I was doing — and it got worse.

' Now I still have stage fright but it is more controllable.'

Doing her own stuff and by breaking out of that classical world of not talking was a great relief. On stage she finds bringing humour to the audience is a great ice-breaker.

Also playing the music she wants to play rather than having to follow a strict classical regime has proved to be delightfully liberating.

'What will evolve with the band is that perhaps I will sit even more of my original writing in the programme.'

She says there will always be people who like their classical music strictly traditional but more and more people enjoy different approaches so long as it has integrity.

'People can see if something is done just to jazz something up. But if it comes from the heart they will accept what you are doing.'

She says in the past she always felt that she was a race horse champing at the bit — but she always felt she was 'in the wrong stable at the wrong time'.

'We all know when we are in the wrong place at the wrong time and how hard it is to get out if it is a chosen career step. But I knew what I was doing wasn't right for me.'

Now she revels in the liberating force of Storm.

'It is great not being in that restrained conformity you get playing in an orchestra. Now I can put my foot on that stage and say something that I want to say or I can just play.

' The key for me is that I can shape the programme how I want it. That's wonderful.'

Beverley said she did not want to feel 'tied up in a little bundle called classical music'.

'What I do now has more to do with my personality.'

Pictured left: Beverley Davison

— diva of the violin.