Biography
The Finzi Quartet has established itself as a significant presence among chamber ensembles through its advocacy for works by its namesake and additional British composers. Prestigious residencies have formed a regular part of its schedule.
Its members—first violinist Sara Wolstenholme, second violinist Natalie Klouda, violist Ruth Gibson, and cellist Lydia Shelley—came together as students at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, during the late 2000s. Christopher Rowland provided initial guidance, after which the players secured scholarships and prizes that expanded their opportunities. A Tunnell Trust Award for 2008-2009 led to a tour across Scotland. The ensemble earned second prize the next year at the Trondheim International String Quartet Competition in Norway. During the 2009-2010 season the quartet made its first appearances at Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London. Festival engagements have included Harrogate and Cheltenham, along with two visits to the Aldeburgh Festival. In July 2010 the group won the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation International Competition, which placed it on the foundation’s artist roster and granted two-year access to a set of instruments known as “The Evangelists,” crafted by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
Additional training, frequently supported by scholarship funds, took place at the Instituto Internacional de Musica de Camera de Madrid under Günter Pichler, at the London String Quartet Foundation, and in master classes led by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Thomas Kemp, and Alasdair Tait, among others. Academic residencies have encompassed Bulldog Junior Fellows positions at Trinity College of Music in 2019-2010 and a Junior Fellowship at the Royal Northern College of Music the subsequent year.
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century British repertoire has occupied a central place in the quartet’s performances and recordings. New works have been commissioned and presented through Live Music Now and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, while frequent concerts of contemporary pieces occur throughout London and the United Kingdom. In 2010 the ensemble recorded John Tavener’s Towards Silence for Signum Classics. A 2019 release on Resonus Classics featured the namesake composer’s voice-and-string quartet piece By Footpath and Stile. The Finzi Trust has approved the quartet’s use of Gerald Finzi’s name.
Its members—first violinist Sara Wolstenholme, second violinist Natalie Klouda, violist Ruth Gibson, and cellist Lydia Shelley—came together as students at the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, during the late 2000s. Christopher Rowland provided initial guidance, after which the players secured scholarships and prizes that expanded their opportunities. A Tunnell Trust Award for 2008-2009 led to a tour across Scotland. The ensemble earned second prize the next year at the Trondheim International String Quartet Competition in Norway. During the 2009-2010 season the quartet made its first appearances at Wigmore Hall and the Purcell Room in London. Festival engagements have included Harrogate and Cheltenham, along with two visits to the Aldeburgh Festival. In July 2010 the group won the Swiss Global Artistic Foundation International Competition, which placed it on the foundation’s artist roster and granted two-year access to a set of instruments known as “The Evangelists,” crafted by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume.
Additional training, frequently supported by scholarship funds, took place at the Instituto Internacional de Musica de Camera de Madrid under Günter Pichler, at the London String Quartet Foundation, and in master classes led by Gabor Takács-Nagy, Thomas Kemp, and Alasdair Tait, among others. Academic residencies have encompassed Bulldog Junior Fellows positions at Trinity College of Music in 2019-2010 and a Junior Fellowship at the Royal Northern College of Music the subsequent year.
Twentieth- and twenty-first-century British repertoire has occupied a central place in the quartet’s performances and recordings. New works have been commissioned and presented through Live Music Now and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, while frequent concerts of contemporary pieces occur throughout London and the United Kingdom. In 2010 the ensemble recorded John Tavener’s Towards Silence for Signum Classics. A 2019 release on Resonus Classics featured the namesake composer’s voice-and-string quartet piece By Footpath and Stile. The Finzi Trust has approved the quartet’s use of Gerald Finzi’s name.
Albums