School of Strings
Life within the RNCM School of Strings is about unlocking potential. From intensive one-to-one training and a vast array of performance opportunities, to mental focus sessions with sports psychologists and motivational talks with the military elite, we strive to provide the right stimulus to ensure you flourish.
Our dedicated team of tutors are musicians of the highest calibre, and we welcome further world-class artists throughout the year to present masterclasses, lectures and seminars tailored to meet the demands of the profession. Regular specialist performance classes will enrich your learning as a solo and ensemble player, and our open class policy means you’re encouraged to attend lessons within other Schools of Study, developing your creative, technical and personal skills with an array of RNCM staff.
The partnerships we’ve developed with leading orchestras across the UK, including the BBC Philharmonic, Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Manchester Camerata, provide invaluable opportunities to gain professional experience, and we host compulsory screened ‘blind’ auditions for our own orchestras and ensembles twice a year. Additionally, regular concerts and recitals within RNCM venues offer the chance for all players (including double bass, harp, guitar and period instruments) to perform to public audiences, and our Symphony Orchestra often brings the year to a close with a rousing concert at Manchester’s Bridgwater Hall.
For more information on the audition process and requirements for the School of Strings, click here.
Further Information
Professors
Head of School
Chris Hoyle GRNCM, PPRNCM
Deputy Head of School
Catherine Yates GMusRNCM (Hons), PPRNCM
Assistant Head of Strings
Dr Louise Lansdown
International Chairs in Violin
Yair Kless BA (Mus), MA (Mus)
Ning Feng
Henning Kraggerud
International Chair in Viola
Nobuko Imai
Howarth International Professor in Cello
Miklós Perényi
International Professor in Double Bass
Božo Paradžik
Visiting Professor in Violin
Levon Chilingirian ARCM, FRCM, Hon PhD, OBE
Professors in Violin
Leland Chen
James Clark
Pavel Fischer
Julia Hanson
Benedict Holland PPRNCM
Yair Kless
Gina McCormack
Sebastian Mueller
Callum Smart
Yuri Torchinsky PGDip, MDip
Cecily Ward
Steven Wilkie GMusRNCM, PGDipRNCM
Catherine Yates GMusRNCM (Hons), PPRNCM
Professor in Baroque Violin
Dr Pauline Nobes ARNCM, GRNCM, MusM(Perf), MusB, PGDipRNCM, PhD
Visiting Professors in Viola
Garth Knox
Thomas Riebl
Professors in Viola
Susie Mészáros
Lucy Nolan
Martin Schäfer
Dr Louise Lansdown
Ruth Gibson
Wenhong Luo
Professor in Baroque Viola
Annette Isserlis
Visiting Professor in Cello
Leonard Elschenbroich
Professors in Cello
Chris Hoyle GRNCM, PPRNCM
Nicholas Jones ARCM
Jennifer Langridge, GmusRNCM PPRNCM
Edvard Pogossian
Petr Prause
Hannah Roberts ARCM, PPRNCM, FRNCM
Jacob Shaw
Victoria Simonsen
Gillian Thoday LRAM, Konzert Dip (North West German Music Academy)
Professor in Baroque Cello
Jonathan Manson
Professor in Double Bass
Ronan Dunne
Jiří Hudec
Visiting Professor in Guitar
Gordon Crosskey BSc, ARCM, FRNCM
Professor in Guitar
Craig Ogden BA (Mus), PGDipRNCM, PPRNCM, FRNCM
Rory Russell BMus (Hons)
Tom McKinney BMus (Hons), MusM
Sam Rodwell
Professor in Lute, Theorbo and Early Guitar
Paula Chateauneuf
Professor in Harp
Anne-Marie O’Farrell
Professor in Dalcroze Eurythmics
Karin Greenhead
Principal Study Options
Violin, viola and cello
Our violin, viola and cello players have a wealth of learning, audition and performance opportunities available to them. As well as orchestral repertoire, students are encouraged to take part in chamber music, and those with an interest in Historical Performance have the chance to play with period instruments and bows and to receive tuition in Baroque violin, viola and cello.
Double Bass
Our double bassists receive tuition, regular workshops, masterclasses and learning opportunities from a roster of acclaimed visiting tutors alongside unique performance opportunities. As well as orchestral repertoire, students are encouraged to take part in chamber music and to get involved in cross-School collaborations.
Guitar (Classical)
The RNCM has a long history of producing world-class guitarists who have gone on to establish professional careers.
Striving to nurture the talent and passions of each student, the department is led by internationally-renowned performer and recording artist, Craig Ogden, with further teaching from Tom McKinney and Sam Rodwell. Lute and theorbo are taught by Paula Chateaneuf, while jazz guitarist Jim Faulkner introduces our classical students to jazz and fretboard harmony.
While the course has some specific repertoire and technical study requirements, there is plenty of scope for students to explore areas of the repertoire that interest them the most. In a supportive and inclusive atmosphere, RNCM guitarists pursue the lessons, classes, and coaching that allow them to realise their full potential as soloists, ensemble musicians, and teachers.
Regular visiting artists for masterclasses and lectures include Tilman Hoppstock, Zoran Dukic, Gary Ryan, Gabriel Bianco, Xuifei Yang, Sean Shibe, Laura Snowden, Marek Pasieczny, and Jacob Heringman.
The department also owns a number of beautiful guitars which are loaned to students, including:
Greg Smallman (2018)
Paul Sheridan (2020)
Paul Fischer/David Rubio (1971) (Beautifully restored by Peter Barton)
Christopher Dean – seven string guitar (2022)
Gary Southwell – Stauffer copy (2020)
Sam McLaren – six string octave bass guitar (2018)
Paul Sheridan – two requintos (2008)
Ramirez – 1A (1968)
For further information about studying classical guitar at the RNCM, please contact Craig Ogden at [email protected] or email [email protected].
‘RNCM Guitars is a family where everyone supports and inspires one another. Craig is not only a world-class example as a guitarist but also as a mentor when it comes to forging a career.
An important takeaway for me is that as soon as I arrived I was encouraged to get stuck into cross-school collaboration, not least chamber music: something I hadn’t really experienced before but suddenly had so much opportunity to explore, meeting new audiences, making friends for life and getting to know different parts of the world as a result. I value that RNCM Guitars showed that music is done best together!’ Alumnus James Girling
Harp
Under the direction of the internationally-renowned performer and teacher Dr Anne-Marie O’Farrell, our harp students become highly trained in a range of areas, including solo repertoire, orchestral playing, chamber music, improvisation and jazz harp, baroque harp, accompaniment, and audition preparation.
During your studies, Anne-Marie’s experience as a composer will help you gain a deeper understanding of the repertoire, whether that’s solo, orchestral or in collaboration with others, resulting in faster memorisation and greater communication. And with a specialism in transcription and arrangement, she’ll also help you expand your repertoire according to your own interests and within the many collaborations open to you at the RNCM.
Complementing this, Anne-Marie’s training in Alexander Technique and the Interactive Teaching Method will enable you to develop a healthy lifelong technique to help prevent self-induced injury, experience more energy during practice, and be more relaxed and focused onstage.
Our Harp Department provides regular masterclasses with the world’s leading harpists. Recent visitors include Alexander Boldachev, Anneleen Lenaerts, Catrin Finch, Veronika Lemishenko, Gwyneth Wentink, Parker Ramsay, Masumi Nagasawa, Imogen Barford, Keziah Thomas, Elizabeth McNulty, Lauren Scott, Amy Turk, Sue Blair and Rosanna Moore among others.
Available Courses
Alumni
Violin and Viola
David Adams: Leader of Welsh National Opera
Ian Belton: Brodsky Quartet
Adi Brett: Leader of Manchester Camerata
Mia Cooper: Leader of RTÉ Orchestra
Oliver Heath: Leader of the Heath Quartet
Benedict Holland: Director and Artistic Advisor, Sinfonia Viva; Violin, Psappha
Peter Manning: Concertmaster of The Royal Opera House
Amin Merchant: Leader of Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Sarah Oates: No 2 1st Violin Philharmonia Orchestra
Kate Richardson: Principal 2nd Violin, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Thomas: Founder of the Brodsky Quartet
Catherine Yates: Deputy Head of RNCM Strings; Formerly Principal 2nd Violin, the Hallé
Cello
Joris van den Berg: Soloist and chamber musician
Rebecca Gilliver: Principal Cello, London Symphony Orchestra
Clive Greensmith: Cellist, Tokyo Quartet
Philip Higham: Winner of the 2008 Bach Leipzig and 2009 Lutoslawski Competitions
Chris Hoyle: Head of RNCM School of Strings; chamber musician
Li-Wei Qin: Head of Cello Studies at Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Singapore.
Hannah Roberts: Internationally-renowned soloist and chamber musician
Ursula Smith: Leading soloist, chamber music and teacher
Young Song: Professor at Kyung Hee University, South Korea
Simon Turner: Co-Principal Cello, the Hallé
Nicholas Trygstad: Section Leader, the Hallé
Double Bass
Leon Bosch: Principal Bass, Academy of St-Martin’s-in-the-Fields
Roberto Carillo-Garcia: Section Leader of the Hallé
Siân Hicks: Principal Bass, Royal Northern Sinfonia
Rachel Meerloo: Member of the Hallé
Yi Xin Salvage: Member of the Hallé; teacher at Chetham’s School of Music
Guitar
Aquarelle Guitar Quartet: Leading British chamber group
Peter Batchelar: Senior Lecturer in Classical Guitar, Leeds College of Music
Paul Galbraith: International soloist
Jon Gjylaci: Soloist, chamber musician and teacher
Stephen Gordon: Tutor at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama
Forbes Henderson: International soloist
Tom McKinney: New music specialist who has performed with Psappha, Birmingham Contemporary Music Group, Ensemble 10/10
Craig Ogden: Internationally-renowned recording artist and RNCM Tutor in Guitar
Elena Papandreou: Recording artist and teacher; Assistant Professor at the University of Macedonia, Greece
Harp
Catriona McKay: International clàrsach player performing with Kronos Quartet
Mary Ann Kennedy: Broadcaster for BBC Radio 3 and winner of the Concours International de l’Harpe
Lucy Haslar: Freelance harpist with BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Rambert Dance Company
Clouds Harp Quartet: Winner of the Buxton Fringe Award
Discover more alumni from our School of Strings here.
Contact Us
School of Strings Administrator
E [email protected]
T 0161 907 5254
Admissions and Course Enquiries
E [email protected]
T 0161 907 5465
