Astrid String Quartet

The Astrid String Quartet formed in summer 2011 at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and were recipients of the 2012 Mabel Glover string quartet prize.

Highlights from Astrid’s recent seasons include their their Usher Hall debut in September 2013 and their highly successful “Five by Five” concert series taking place in the 2013 Edinburgh Fringe. Astrid were one of the first musical ensembles to be selected for “Made in Scotland”, a showcase representing the best of Scottish performing arts at the Fringe Festival. During their chamber music series, the ensemble performed five quintets in five days and collaborated with musicians such as Scott Mitchell, Dávur Juul Magnussen (Royal Scottish National Orchestra) and William Conway (Chamber Orchestra of Europe). They have since performed the Schubert string quintet in in 2014 during a joint concert with cellist Ursula Smith.

The Astrid quartet are passionate about new music and have performed numerous world premieres, including Alistair Nicholson’s String Quartet no. 2 “Keeper of the Sheep” in the St Magnus Festival 2014. In April, the quartet opened the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s acclaimed Plug festival for contemporary music with world premieres of quartets by Shona McKay, Thomas Butler and Lucy Hollingworth. Astrid commissioned works by Richard Greer and Claire McCue for string quartet and trombone for their 2013 series “Five by Five”, and their premier was described by The Strad magazine as ‘a festival highlight’. In summer 2013, the quartet also premiered David Donaldson’s new score Requiem For A World with counter-tenor Steve Dugardin in association with Cryptic. The quartet worked with young Scottish composer Peter Longworth on his new string quartet, Giri Toscani in 2012, which they performed at the Tolbooth in Stirling.

Other performances include showcase concerts at Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and performances in the lunchtime concert series within the Conservatoire; a concert performance for the International Concert committee of Al Khobar, Saudi Arabia; concerts in the St Magnus and Music at Paxton festivals, concerts for music societies across Scotland, and performances in Dalmeny Kirk, the Scottish National Gallery, Scottish Parliament and Carlisle Cathedral. In addition, Astrid gave the inaugural concert of the newly restored St Columba’s Chapel in Drimnin, Morvern, and have since returned as quartet in residence. In March 2013, the quartet performed Steve Reich’s Variations for vibes, pianos and strings alongside members of the London Sinfonietta with the composer himself in attendance.

In 2012, Astrid worked with Paragon Ensemble and Sound Strategies to deliver a series of workshops combining science and music education for children. In 2013 and 2014 Astrid were invited to tutor at the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland String Training Course, working with children aged eight to thirteen. The quartet are proud members of the prestigious Live Music Now! scheme, a charity founded by Yehudi Menuhin, which delivers high quality live performances to audiences who might otherwise never have the opportunity to go to a concert.

The Astrid quartet were coached at the RSAMD by Robert Irvine and have played in masterclasses with the Brodsky Quartet, the Kreutzer Quartet, Peter Manning, Peter Cropper, Oliver Wille and the Rachmaninov Trio.