Strings at the Academy
Autumn 2015
An update from Jo Cole, Head of Strings
As Autumn appeared on the horizon,
the Academy’s students started
converging on London – returning from
their Summer activities. A huge range of
summer schools, seminars, orchestral
and chamber music courses and study
holidays now mean that students
maintain their playing, as well as enjoying
different environments and making new
friends during the long break from more
formal study.
Academy string players have been
performing in the Pacific Music Festival
Orchestra, the Gustav Mahler Orchestra,
EUYO, the East-West Divan Orchestra,
Prague Summer Nights, in the USA,
Brazil, Canada, Eastern Europe, in China,
and Australia and in chamber music
events all over the British Isles from the
Lake District to Cambridge, Dartington
to Aldeburgh, as well as further afield.
These are just some of the ones I know
about!
Academy strings professors are in strong
demand to teach and coach in summer
schools throughout the world, and often
meet aspiring Academy students during
their work abroad. Summer is the time
when the Strings Department is truly
internationally spread: everywhere from
Mull to Melbourne.
Closer to home, the London BBC Proms
included performances by the Halcyon
Quartet (BMus 3 and 4)and Mathilde
Milwidsky (BMus 2 violin) in the Hugh
Wood Proms Composer Portrait – and
Houcheng Kian (BMus 2 violin) playing
the music for the eponymous solo role
in the Fiddler on the Roof, all broadcast
on Radio 3.
Amongst all the activity I hope there has
been chance for students and professors
to relax and recharge the batteries as
2015–16 is another jam-packed year for
the Academy Strings Department!
Sainsbury Royal Academy
Soloists at Wigmore Hall
I am thrilled to be welcoming a bumper
crop of new string students who join us
this September: totalling 40 (yes, 40!)
strings undergraduates – a record
number – and 50 postgraduates. These
young musicians, who come from all
over the world, will have plenty of
support during Induction to help them
process the data-overload experience of
starting an exciting new chapter of life.
As Autumn progresses we will see
them getting to know their Academy
professors, settling in to their new
homes, gradually connecting with
new chamber music colleagues,
playing great music under impressively
distinguished conductors/directors,
such as Robin Ticciati, Yan Pascal
Tortelier, Edward Gardner,
Trevor Pinnock, John Adams
and, very importantly, starting the
lasting friendships that survive not
only studentships but provide the
camaraderie and support that will
make their waiting musical careers
so rewarding. Our highly beneficial
collaborative schemes with the
London Symphony Orchestra (String
Experience) and Britten Sinfonia
(Apprenticeship) will continue next year,
with the internal orchestral auditions as
the starting point for their selections.
Chamber Music

We are proud to announce that the

Doric Quartet will be the Teaching
Quartet in Association at the Academy
in 2015–16 – thanks to generous We asked the ‘Dorics’ some Do you laugh in rehearsals?
support from the Frost Trust. Their questions to start to get to
role will be slightly different to know them better: Our rehearsals are a real mix between
a ‘standard’ residency: they are intense work, broken up with
tasked with focusing especially on Why are you called The Doric silliness. There are a lot of in-jokes
developing continuity and stability String Quartet? that we are sure nobody else would
through the second and third years of find funny.

undergraduate string chamber music It was important to us when
performance, assisting with repertoire choosing a name that we would Why does chamber music matter
choice, rehearsal techniques, trouble not be associated with a particular to a student?
shooting, and long term planning. composer or person. We took a
The Doric Quartet has an incredibly look at classical architecture with We think playing chamber music is
impressive profile as a performing beauty, structure and form, and vital to becoming a good musician.
quartet of considerable stature, but were taken with the word Doric When working together you learn
they are also enthusiastic, dedicated from the sets of columns found on to share and develop your musical
and successful teachers. It is going to ancient Greek buildings. perceptions and work on some of the
be a great association and I am thrilled most intimate and personal aspects
that they have responded with such How do you choose repertoire? of music.

commitment and flair to this plan.
Crucially, their remit extends beyond We often make a wish list of all the Do you share other interests?
the string quartet to all chamber music pieces we want to play, which can What else do you like doing?
for strings – including strings and turn out quite long! We then try and
piano/wind. create balanced programmes out of We all love good food and drink!
it. Our recording projects also have When you’re away from home it’s
The Academy’s love of ensemble an impact on our programmes as great fun to go off together and find
playing also benefits again next year we like to perform the pieces many great restaurants and bars. Some of
from the continued inspiration provided times before committing them to us are avid runners and we all like to
by Chamber Musician in Residence: disc. 
 take long walks if we are in beautiful
Levon Chilingirian: his classes on places.
duo sonata playing will start with a
well-timed session on Brahms ahead
of the Wilfred Parry Prize (for the
performance of a Brahms Duo sonata),
alongside his supportive work with
established trios and quartets which
will feature throughout the year. The
Davey Posnanski Quartet Scheme
enters its fifth year: auditions for the
coveted spots on this prestigious
course take place in October. The
scheme runs through the academic
year and provides additional performing
and study opportunities, a dedicated
mentor and career guidance for serious
quartets.

The CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust

is again generously supporting a
Fellowship this year and the recipients
are the Jørgensen Piano Trio, who
received the Elias Fawcett Trust in the
Intercollegiate Piano Trio Competition
in May, and recently also won first
prize in the Malta International Music
Competition in July. This outstandingly
versatile trio will be engaged in
performing and supporting roles,
with special responsibility for helping
first year piano trios.The CAVATINA
Intercollegiate String Quartet
Competition will take place at the
Academy in May.

Doric String Quartet


Building news
The Academy’s purpose remains
unwaveringly dedicated and devoted
to the development of musicians –
as it has ever since its foundation
– but it is also an institution that
moves with the times and in 2015–
16 there is considerable change
afoot: the Academy is replacing its
out-dated theatre with a state-of-
the art spectacular new one, and is
adding a concert hall to the top of
the building with extra facilities for
recording and stunning new roof
access. This inevitably entails some
re-jigging of teaching space so that
lessons can continue undisturbed
by construction (and destruction!)
noise.
The Academy management has
tested its creative resources to the
max. to find ways to make this all
work and to have minimal effect
on student life. In some cases
this has had the serendipitous
outcome of discovering some
nearby outstanding venues for
classes and rehearsals.This will
make the activities (even more) of a
preparation for life in the profession
– which is usually spent travelling a
great deal and playing and working
in different environments. Some
of the venues are very much on
the professional circuit of musician
workplaces and Academy students
are going to get to know their
way to, and around them before
they actually are employed to be
there. The Strings Administration
headquarters – Emily Good’s
office – is temporarily rising to the
5th floor –a good test of the leg
muscles if you take the stairs to go
and visit her!
Staff news
This year we welcome two extremely
distinguished new staff members:
violinist Rodney Friend www.ram.
ac.uk/about-us/news/rodney-friend-
joins-strings-staff and viola soloist
and chamber musician Roger Chase
www.ram.ac.uk/about-us/staff/chase,
who has recently returned to the
UK from the States, where he has
taught for several years at Roosevelt
University in Chicago. Roger has very
generously agreed to join the staff at
the Academy following the departure
of Paul Silverthorne, who is to become
professor of viola at Soo Chow
University School of Music in China.
Academy Soloists with Clio Gould
Focus on the violin
There will be two Barbirolli lectures
this Autumn: Jonathan Freeman
Attwood will be interviewing Maxim
Vengerov on 30th September about
his extraordinary career and on
23rd October, the Academy’s Ede
Zathureczky Professor of Violin, and
much-loved György Pauk will be
interviewed about his life as one of the
world’s greatest violinists and teachers.
In April, celebrating Menuhin’s
100th birthday year, the Academy
is hosting the Yehudi Menuhin
International Violin Competition.
www.menuhincompetition.org/
competition-2016/
More violin action: On 9th October
We are delighted that many of the major an unusual event featuring violin
events including the Jury master classes professor Jack Liebeck and eminent
and the Junior Finals will take place at broadcaster and physicist Brian Cox
the Academy, Academy professors will will present an evening exploring
be contributing in the chamber music the concept of time, with a student
element rounds, and the Academy ensemble performing Messiaen’s
Symphony Orchestra will accompany Quartet for the End of Time. In the
the Senior Finals at the Royal Festival spring term, Jack is back: curating
Hall. Attending Academy students a day dedicated to celebrating the
will experience the positive and music of Fritz Kreisler.This will
vibrant flavour of this highly respected
include a significant number of student
competition, as well as being amongst performances including an account of
terrific young violinists under the age of
the rarely heard, but very appealing,
22 as they present themselves to the string quartet.
eminent jury.
Before he heads East, Paul will be leading
Academy viola students in a firework-
filled Viola Ensemble performance on 5th
November including works by Boulez and
George Benjamin. We are sorry to see
Paul go, but delighted to have Roger and
Rodney join our magnificent staff!

This year, owing to the record
intake of undergraduates, there
will be two Strings One-Year
Internships, held by violinist
Michael Foyle and cellist Nadege
Rochat. They will offer support
and practical advice to complement
professorial tuition and chamber
music activity, and will assist in
coordinating such a large group of
younger students. Ensuring that
the individual pathway of each
student is carefully monitored and
tailored to help where necessary
and to encourage independence
without isolation is absolutely key.
Garth Knox teaching
Strings at home
In accordance with our philosophy of
giving students access to some of the
greatest artists performing today, the There’s never a dull moment in
current list of master classes – public the Strings Department – there
and internal – for just the first part of is always something interesting
the year includes: going on.Come in and find out
Levon Chilingirian, James Ehnes, more!
Tasmin Little, Maxim Vengerov,
Roger Chase, Garth Knox,
Tatyana Masurenko, Lawrence
Power, Hartmut Rohde, Mario
Brunello, Colin Carr, Daniel
Müller-Schott, Sungwon Yang,
Bozo Paradic, Gunars Upatnieks
and the Fine Arts Quartet.