bond - a group of four sassy and spectacularly gifted young ladies - Haylie, Eos,Tania & Gay-Yee - who represent the re-invention of classical string quartet.

A Long Time Coming...

As early as 1980, at either ends of the earth, bond has begun. In Perth, Australia, a five-year-old Haylie Ecker has been given her first violin, and is displaying the kind of nimble-fingered virtuosity which will continue to astound tutors throughout her childhood. A couple of thousand miles across the coast, in Sydney, Tania Davis is being bribed with chewing gum and plastic farmyard animals to practise her first notes on both violin and piano. In Cardiff, Wales, Eos (pronounced Ay-os) is also toying with her first bow, while on the other side of the UK, in Hull, seven-year-old relative late-starter Gay-Yee Westerhoff is eyeing up the piano, although as soon as she is big enough to hold it, she'll have switched to her favoured cello.

Several Years Later...

Laden with prestigious trophies picked up almost at will during their musical apprenticeships, the four sexy, sassy and spectacularly-gifted young women have each begun to dream of a bigger prize - the reinvention of the classical string quartet. Introduced to each other by legendary concert promoter Mel Bush, the girls begin to share their vision: there will be no stiff bow ties or flowing, black dresses, and neither will the performers be sat down in front of reams of sheet music at the mercy of a magisterial conductor. Instead, they will be a breath of complete fresh air - although classical in its instrumental make-up, the quartet will not be constrained by any existing genres or traditions. Symbolising both their unity and the ambition of their masterplan, the four girls give themselves the collective name bond.

The Mission Begins...

bond begin recording a series of mostly original works (composed, by, among others, Magnus Fiennes.) Standard classical procedures go out of the window as the four brilliant performers enhance the compositions using both well-honed technical skills and innate flair. Their arrangements are laced with tinges of everything from trance and house music to Salsa and traditional East European folk songs - the result is dramatic, compelling, sexy and sparklingly original.

The Adventure Continues...

Signed by Decca, bond's mission is universal. Unconstrained by convention, appreciation of their music is international and ageless, requiring no prior knowledge of classical composers, no dress code and no Prom-style snobbery. And as naturally talented and expertly-trained performers, bond refine their onstage act behind closed doors, secretly becoming a breathtakingly charismatic live unit.

Success...

Their objective to conquer the world, territory by territory, is almost complete. In just nine months since the release of their explosive debut single 'Victory', bond have snatched no less than ten No.1's and have reached Gold status four times and Platinum twice from countries such as the UK, Austria, Holland, Chile, Australia, Turkey, Italy, Sweden, France, Bulgaria, Switzerland and the US.

bond's fresh, modern and distinctively pert performances have wowed audiences in every nation as they continue to govern the current music scene with their sensational first album 'Born' which has sold over 1 million copies worldwide. The foxy foursome have overthrown both the classical and pop charts, entering the top ten in both the Swedish and Italian pop charts; they were the highest entry as the first female instrumental band to enter the UK pop charts ever (acknowledged by Guinness World Records), and they have just conquered the US, going straight in as No.1 in the Classical/Crossover Chart and as No.2 in the New Artists Album chart.

So colossal has been their meteoric rise, bond have left no prisoners and the likes of their classical and pop counterparts such as Charlotte Church, Sarah Brightman and Andrew Lloyd Webber as well as David Gray, Coldplay and Lenny Kravitz have been forced to surrender into the jaws of defeat.

As the first all-girl string quartet to appear in the pop charts, to sell a million albums and to pose naked, bond are also the first string quartet to attract more media coverage than any other string quartet before them. Such attention has brought in a flood of sponsorhip deals including stylish Jaguar cars, luxurious Raymond Weill watches and glossy Pantene Pro-v hair care.

Their secret? A combination of brilliant talent, ravishing good-looks, a clever mix of music and grit determination to succeed - all the ingredients which make the classical string quartet that is bond.

Haylie

NAME: Haylie Ecker
bond SKILL: First violinist
AGE: 24
IMPRESSIVE MUSICAL PEDIGREE: Holds a first-class honours degree from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, Haylie has already played around the world extensively as a soloist and continues her classical violin career in conjunction to playing with bond.
SUPERHEROES: Nigel Kennedy + Lakatos, the ultimate gypsy violinist.
bond TRIVIA: Loves surfing
bond TALK: "My passion is music and playing with bond adds a new dimension and perception to the way I play."

Eos

NAME: Eos
bond SKILL: Second violinist
AGE: 24
IMPRESSIVE MUSICAL PEDIGREE: Eos earned her degree from the Royal College of Music, and has played in front of several heads of state, including the Queen and former Prime Ministers of Australia and Ireland.
SUPERHEROE: Velvet Underground
bond TRIVIA: Since graduation, Eos has mostly played with pop acts, including The Divine Comedy, Cocteau Twins, and Julian Cope, and has appeared in videos with Gabrielle and Mark Knopfler. She shares her birthday with Mozart. Eos means "Nightingale" in Welsh.
bond TALK: "I love music that pushes boundaries - and bond's music crosses both stylistic and national boundaries"

Tania

NAME: Tania Davis
bond SKILL: Viola
AGE: 24
IMPRESSIVE MUSICAL PEDIGREE: Holds a first class Bachelor Of Music Honours degree from the Sydney Conservatorium, and has just gained the postgraduate diploma in performance with distinction from the Guildhall School Of Music And Drama in London.
SUPERHEROE: Maxim Vengerov
bond TRIVIA: Appropriately, her name means 'strength of ten' in Russian.
bond TALK: "bond will appeal to people who would normally be intimidated by a classical concert - I'd love to hear bond's music at the opening ceremony of the Sydney Olympics."

Gay-Yee

NAME: Gay-Yee Westerhoff
bond SKILL: Cello
AGE: 26
IMPRESSIVE MUSICAL PEDIGREE: Attended Trinity College Of Music in London
SUPERHEROE: (Bassist) Carol Kaye who has played with artists as diverse as Elvis, Burt Bacharach, Frank Sinatra, Shirley Bassey and Stevie Wonder.
bond TRIVIA: Gay-Yee has played cello with artists such as Primal Scream, Spice Girls, Talvin Singh , Embrace, Sting, Bryan Adams and Barry Manilow as well as being an accomplished bass player.
bond TALK: "My whole life has always revolved around music. Although I'd really like to learn the martial arts of the Shaolin monks."

- Information provided by Universal Music 2001