RNCM Strings Day 13/01/2024

PAVEL FISCHER

Pavel Fischer was born in Zlín (Czech Republic). Pavel studied at both the Prague Conservatoire and Prague Academy of Performing Arts under the guidance of Professor Nora Grumlíková. In 1989 he became co-founder and leader of the Škampa Quartet, who were the first Quartet to be appointed Resident Artists at The Wigmore Hall (1994-1998).

With the Škampa Quartet, Pavel has been an award-winning recording artist for Supraphon for many years, also broadcasting for the BBC regularly as part of the Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, St Luke’s and the Chamber Music Proms series.

After leaving the Skampa Quartet Pavel has dedicated himself to his teaching activities. In 2008 he became a violin tutor at the RNCM in Manchester and Chetham’s School of Music. Pavel is in much demand as a masterclass giver and has been engaged at the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, the ‘Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie’, Orlando Festival, Weesp Chamber Music Festival, Kamermuziek Atelier Delft and the Strijkkwartet Biennale, Amsterdam amongst others.

BENEDICT HOLLAND

Benedict Holland has guest-led many of the UK’s major orchestras, including the Hallé, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic, Northern Sinfonia, Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra, City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Scottish Ensemble, Orchestra of Opera North and BBC Philharmonic and until 2023, he was the violinist and occasional violist with the contemporary ensemble Psappha.

Benedict has always put teaching at the heart of his work, at the RNCM where he was awarded a professorship in 2016. He also teaches a class of talented young violinists at the Junior RNCM and gives consultative classes in orchestral and contemporary techniques at Trinity Laban Conservatoire where he is a visiting artist.

CHRIS HOYLE

Chris Hoyle is Head of the School of Strings at the RNCM and enjoys a busy life as a chamber musician, orchestral player and teacher.

He has worked with many of the UK’s finest orchestras, including the BBC Philharmonic, of which he was a member for many years.  He also plays as Guest Principal Cello with several orchestras and he has given solo recitals nationwide including a performance of Schnittke’s Cello Sonata to the composer as part of the Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival. He has performed widely as a chamber musician in the McFarlane String Quartet, Psappha and several small ensembles within the BBC.  In these roles, he has frequently broadcast for radio and TV.

CATHERINE YATES

Catherine Yates is Deputy Head of the School of Strings at the RNCM. She began her musical studies with Marion Hillier, before going on to study at Chetham’s School of Music and the RNCM. In 1989 she became a member of the Sorrel Quartet which was formed at the RNCM under the tutelage of Dr Christopher Rowland and worked regularly with members of the Vermeer, Borodin, Alban Berg and Allegri Quartets.

Catherine’s career took a sharp change of direction in 2007, with her appointment as Principal Second Violin with the Hallé. She held this position for six years, combining symphony orchestra life with a busy programme of teaching and chamber music, both as violinist and viola player. After leaving the Hallé, she took up her current position at the RNCM whilst continuing to perform regularly as Guest Principal with many leading orchestras. She continues to fuel her passion for chamber music and is involved with a number of charitable organisations that support young musicians.

RUTH GIBSON

Ruth loves communicating through music, taking on an open-minded approach to music-making, and pursuing a diversity of creative projects. As a Samaritan and qualified yoga teacher she strives for meaning and balance on and off the stage. Her recent collaborations have included a Mozart string quintet cycle with the Heath Quartet, Mozart piano quartets with the Linos Piano Trio, Reich and Harvey string quartets with the Hebrides Ensemble and a UK tour of Janacek’s Intimate Letters (from memory) and Written in Fire for quartet and electronics with the Singh Quartet. She is a member of Ensemble 360 and the Manchester Collective, and also regularly plays with Manchester Camerata, Nash Ensemble and the City of London Sinfonia. With the City of London Sinfonia, she is proud to be part of their outreach work year round, creating music with young people with psychiatric illnesses and patients in palliative care.

MANCHESTER COLLECTIVE

Known for their experimental programming, daring collaborations and engaging performances, the work of Manchester Collective has expanded at breakneck speed since their formation in 2016 by Adam Szabo and Rakhi Singh. The Collective’s vision is to reshape the future of classical music by creating radical artistic work from their base in the north of England.

The shape-shifting ensemble performs a combination of cutting-edge contemporary music, classical masterpieces and staged work nationally and internationally, in spaces ranging from concert halls to warehouses, nightclubs to festivals. They collaborate with an exciting array of award-winning artists, pushing at the boundaries of how classical music is presented and experienced. Notable previous projects include Sirocco and The Oracle with South African cellist Abel Selaocoe, Rosewood with guitarist Sean Shibe, and a multimedia performance of Michael Gordon’s ‘Weather’ with an installation by sound recordist Chris Watson.

New music is of vital importance to the Collective. Crossing different musical genres, in recent years they have commissioned major works by composers including Edmund Finnis, Emily Hall, Hannah Peel, Lyra Pramuk, Moor Mother, Laurence Osborn, and Alice Zawadzki. In 2021, Manchester Collective made their Royal Albert Hall debut as part of the BBC Proms Festival and are currently artists-in-residence at the Southbank Centre in London. In 2023, they won the Royal Philharmonic Society’s prestigious Ensemble award. Manchester Collective record for the Icelandic label Bedroom Community. Their third studio album NEON was released in June 2023.