Strings
Latest News: New Alfredo Piatti Chair of Cello – Josephine Knight FRAM.
Strings Open Day for prospective students: Wednesday 25th September
Free, no pre-booking required. For further information please email strings@ram.ac.uk
In 2012, violin legend Maxim Vengerov became Menuhin Professor of Music at the Academy. See what our Principal had to say about the appointment or read our news story for details.
Jo Cole, cello
Latest appointments: Philippe Honoré, professor of violin and Garth Knox, Visiting Professor of Viola
The Academy’s enviable reputation for training string players 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 successful careers of many of our alumni throughout the profession.
String students at the Academy benefit from a winning combination of strong artistic traditions with forward-thinking realism about today’s musical life, forming an imaginative springboard from which to launch their careers. The crucial disciplines — solo, orchestral and chamber music — are given intensive attention throughout, nurturing talent to produce versatile, creative and practical musicians of excellence. From the start we foster engagement with the reality of an unpredictable and rapidly-changing profession, enabling a smooth transition into professional life rather than a jolt into the unknown at graduation.
Teaching in Strings is delivered in two ways: professors, who give frequent and regular individual lessons; and visiting professors, who give classes at the Academy two, three or four times a year. Principal Study tuition is the central column of all courses and the Academy is very proud of its outstanding and dedicated teaching staff. Chamber music is crucial to both undergraduate and postgraduate studies.
The Griller Chair of Chamber Music is held by Professor Thomas Brandis, and the Ede Zathureczsky Professor of Violin is György Pauk.
The regular teaching staff and Visiting Professors include solo artists; principal players from the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, the Amsterdam Concertgebouw and the London Symphony Orchestra; and distinguished chamber musicians. Players from the Alberni, Maggini and Endellion Quartets are on the regular teaching staff, and have additional responsibility for chamber music. Internationally-established cellists teach at the Academy weekly, and Steven Doane and Colin Carr from Eastman and the State University of New York are Visiting Professors.
Weekly performance classes are taken by both guest string players and faculty members to allow students access to a wide variety of tutorial input from all areas of the profession. Public and private masterclasses given by distinguished artists take place throughout the year. These have recently included Visiting Professor Tasmin Little, Tatjana Masurenko, Truls Mørk and Gregor Horsch.
