The Academy's enviable international reputation for training string players at the highest level is firmly based on the stimulating educational and cultural experiences of our students, the distinction of our faculty and visiting professors, and - not least - the high-profile, successful careers of many of our alumni in different areas of the music profession.
String students at the Academy benefit from a winning combination of strong artistic traditions with forward-thinking about the realities of musical life in the twenty-first century, forming an imaginative springboard from which to launch their careers. The crucial disciplines of performance - solo, orchestral and chamber music - are given intensive attention throughout study, nurturing talent to produce versatile, creative and practical musicians of excellence. A culture of engagement with the reality of an unpredictable and rapidly-changing profession is fostered from the start, enabling a smooth transition into professional life rather than a jolt into the unknown at graduation.
‘Gripping performances left me mentally exhausted but full of admiration for these awe-inspiring young players’ The Strad, May 2004
The Strad reviews Royal Academy Soloists, September 2009:
'...an ensemble which plays with the attention to detail one would expect from a string quartet, and the character and unanimity of its performances were a constant joy... the quality of the playing, precision and intonation were astonishing.'
Instrument Collection
The Academy has ‘one of the premier and most accessible collections in the world’ (The Strad, March 2006). Many of the 250+ stringed instruments are available to students. The staff of the on-site workshop advise students on maintenance of their own instruments, and a bow specialist visits regularly for rehairs and repairs.
Recent Student Successes
Recent string graduates perform with all the major UK orchestras, and with many orchestras and ensembles internationally.
Some recent students:
> Thomas Gould (graduated 2006), soloist and leader of Britten Sinfonia
> Simone Lamsma (2005), competition winner, soloist and recording artist
> Clare Duckworth (2003), co-principal second violin, London Philharmonic Orchestra
> Kaoru Yamada (2004), no.6 violin, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
> Louisa Tuck (2006), principal cello, Northern Sinfonia
> Rachel Helleur (2004), cello section member, Berlin Philharmonic
> Dominic Seldis (1992), principal double bass, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> Matthew Midgley (2000), principal double bass, Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra
> Georgina Poad (2007), double bass section member, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra
> Badke String Quartet (2005), first prize, Melbourne International Quartet Competition
2009–2010 Highlights
> Chamber music masterclasses with Thomas Brandis, Jerzy Kosmala, Aleksandar Pavlovic and Hartmut Rohde
> Violin masterclasses with Thomas Brandis, Sergey Kravchenko, Tasmin Little, Jasna Maksimovic, Aleksandar Pavlovic, Sylvia Rosenberg, Zvi Zeitlin, Max Zorin and Virginie Robilliard
> Viola masterclasses with Roger Benedict, Jerzy Kosmala, Tatjana Masurenko and Hartmut Rohde
> Cello masterclasses with Colin Carr, Robert Cohen, Steven Doane, Martijn Vink and Paul Marleyn
> Double bass masterclasses with Matthew McDonald, Peter Pühn and Dominic Seldis
> Visits by the Vanbrugh and Skampa quartets
> Royal Academy Soloists concerts, directed by Clio Gould
> Numerous solo and ensemble performances