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Enthusiastic and exciting, the ASTARIA STRING QUARTET
brings youthful exuberance to challenging and sublime repertoire
from the core of the string quartet literature. Their busy
schedule involves performing for music clubs, societies and
music festivals across the UK.
Recently, the ASTARIA STRING QUARTET was invited to
present a recital at the BCU Birmingham Conservatoire as part
of the ‘Salute to Midlands Composers’ Series. This included
the rarely performed String Quartet in A by Edgar Bainton,
‘On Wenlock Edge’ by Ralph Vaughan Williams with Julian Pike
(Head of Vocal Studies) and Edward Elgar’s Piano Quintet,
with Robert Markham.
The ASTARIA STRING QUARTET was awarded an ‘Arts4All’
Grant from the National Lottery, to study with the distinguished
doyen of chamber music Gábor Takács-Nagy, in Geneva. They
were also awarded a bursary to attend the prestigious ‘International
Musicians’ Seminar’ at Prussia Cove in Cornwall.
Repeat invitations to the ‘Bochmann Residential Course’ have
led to further study with Michael Bochmann, as well as master-classes
with Garfield Jackson and Malcolm Layfield.
Their busy touring schedule has seen the ASTARIA STRING
QUARTET performing throughout the UK, including recitals
across Scotland as part of ‘Enterprise Music Scotland’ and
the ‘Argyll and Bute Concert Tours’, as well as for Beaford
Arts in Devon and ‘Arts Alive’ in Shropshire.
A large part of the ASTARIA STRING QUARTET’S work
includes concerts and workshops in schools, special schools,
for Camphill communities and for other organisations. Their
commitment to education is reflected through coaching, performances
and master-classes, in both primary and secondary settings.
The members are especially proud to represent the ‘Council
for Music in Hospitals’, for whom they present short concerts
and interactive performances of popular quartet music, interspersed
with chat and musical anecdotes.
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