A ChamberStudio Mentorship provides the opportunity for an outstanding professional chamber group to study in depth for a year with a chosen mentor. Benefits include: A subsidised tailor-made and flexible programme of highest level study with a chosen mentor Concert opportunities linked to the Mentorship Introduction to a specialist recording producer to make [...]
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Palomino Quartet
Described as ‘exuberant and energetic’, the Palomino Quartet are a fresh and dynamic emerging talent in chamber music. Formed in 2011, the quartet comprises former members of Southbank Sinfonia from England, Ireland and New Zealand. They were recent finalists in the St Martin in the Fields Chamber Competition 2013 and the Ernest Bloch Music Competition [...]

Goldberg Trio
The recently established Goldberg Trio is formed of the violinist Rafael Bolívar, the violist Raquel Bolívar and the cellist Alejandra Díaz. All of them are young Spanish performers living and studying in London.The name of the trio wants to be a tribute to the famous Goldberg Variations composed by J.S. Bach that later on have [...]

Meridian Piano Quartet
Originally founded as the Meridian Trio in 2009, the Meridian Piano Quartet is a 2011 merger of the trio with close friend and colleague Leo Nicholson (piano). The Meridian Piano Quartet was established for the performance of twentieth and twenty-first century repertoire, with a focus to promote emerging and established British composers. Violinist Akiko Ishikawa [...]

Sedici Quartet
The Sedici Quartet comprises of Venetia Jollands, Magnus Steinum, Jordan Sian and Lucy Andrews, all of whom are studying at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama. As well as performing regularly, they have had the opportunity to participate in lessons and masterclasses with members of the Alban Berg, Takacs, Endellion and Belcea quartets [...]

Ralph Kirshbaum
Ralph Kirshbaum gave an inspiring masterclass for ChamberStudio in Hall 2 at Kings Place on Sunday 21 October 2012. The Navarra Quartet, Fournier Trio and Busch Ensemble played in the masterclass in front of an enthusiastic and full audience. The distinguished career of Texas-born cellist Ralph Kirshbaum – which encompasses the worlds of solo [...]

Ismena Ensemble
The Ismena ensemble which has at its crux a trio of soprano, cello and piano, was formed in 2008 and created a Collective in 2010, to expand the repertoire for voice with instrumental accompaniment and to develop performances with artists in different spheres. The trio has performed in a variety of styles (contemporary classical, musical theatre [...]
Castalian String Quartet
Castalian String Quartet Winner of the 2011 Royal Overseas League Elias Fawcett Award for an outstanding chamber music ensemble, the Castalian String Quartet was formed in London in 2010 by multi-award winning graduates of the Royal Northern College of Music, Royal Academy of Music and Eastman School of Music, USA. They are rapidly gaining a [...]

Hepplewhite Piano Trio
The Hepplewhite Piano Trio was formed in 2009 by students at the Birmingham Conservatoire. The group has built success very quickly, being invited within months of forming to play at the Purcell Room, London alongside the Schubert Ensemble and the Lawson Piano Trio. In February 2010 they won the Sylvia Cleaver Chamber Music Competition, and [...]

Rautio Piano Trio
Jane Gordon violin, Adi Tal cello, Jan Rautio piano. Critically acclaimed for their versatility, intelligent artistry and innovative programming, the Rautio Piano Trio draws together three outstanding musicians from Britain, Israel and Russia. Their repertoire ranges from historically-informed performances of music of the Classical period to cutting-edge contemporary works. They have performed across the UK [...]

William Howard
WILLIAM HOWARD is established as one of Britain’s leading pianists, enjoying a career that has taken him to over 40 different countries. His performing life consists of solo recitals, concerto performances, guest appearances with chamber ensembles and instrumentalists, and regular touring with the Schubert Ensemble of London, Britain’s leading group for piano and strings and [...]

Albany Piano Trio
Albany Piano Trio (formerly the Leonora Piano Trio) Founded in 2010, the Albany Piano Trio has performed throughout the UK and is beginning to establish itself as an exciting new ensemble. The Trio have participated in masterclasses with Ian Brown, Lowri Blake, Alexander Janiczek, Alexandra Woods, Adrian Bradbury and the Endellion Quartet. They also take [...]

Gagliano Ensemble
The Gagliano Ensemble is a multinational group founded by four young, London-based soloists and chamber musicians: Violinist Galya Bisengalieva, Violist Robert Ames, ‘Cellist Colin Alexander and Pianist Petr Limonov. The group has played extensively throughout the UK and abroad as Duo, String Trio, Piano Trio and Piano Quartet performing works by Bach, Bartok, Beethoven, Brahms, [...]

Jubilee Quartet
1st prize winners of the ‘Val Tidone International Chamber Music Competition’, and the Philharmonia Orchestra MMSF ‘Charles Henderson Ensemble Award’, the Jubilee Quartet was formed in 2006 at the Royal Academy of Music, London, where they currently hold a Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship. During this time, they were given instruction under professors such as Thomas [...]

Maxwell Quartet
The members of the Maxwell String Quartet all hail originally from Scotland, where they are now based. Having studied at various institutions including the Royal Northern College of Music, Guildhall School of Music, Sibelius Academy and Oxford University, the quartet was formed in 2010 at the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama (now Royal [...]

Amaryllis Piano Trio
The Amaryllis Piano Trio formed in November 2009 during their first year at the Royal College of Music. They enjoy playing a wide range of repertoire covering periods from Haydn to Shostakovich and styles including Piazzolla’s Tango Nuevo. Outside of the concert hall the trio engages in outreach work; from school workshops to performing and [...]

Pirani Trio
The Pirani Trio was founded in 2006 by three postgraduate students at the Royal Academy of Music in London. The group aims not only to consolidate the standard Horn Trio repertoire but also to encourage new compositions and to explore less well-known Trios which have been rarely performed. All three members held scholarships at the [...]

Muse Piano Quintet
The Muse Piano Quintet was formed in September 2008. Since its first public performance the ensemble proved itself as a highly professional group. They have performed in many concert halls including recitals at the Royal Albert Hall’s Elgar room, St James Piccadilly, National Gallery, Britten Theatre, Royal Academy of Arts, Amarylis Fleming Concert Hall and [...]

Anthony Marwood
ANTHONY MARWOOD combines his love of chamber music with regular appearances as soloist with orchestras around the world. Current and forthcoming engagements include concertos with the Boston Symphony, the St Louis Symphony, the BBC Scottish Symphony, the BBC Symphony, Collegium Musicum Winterthur, the Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra and the Sydney Symphony. Conductors he has worked [...]

Richard Lester
Leading chamber-musician, solo-cellist and member of the award-winning Florestan Trio, Richard Lester appears regularly at the world’s foremost concert venues and festivals. Equally at home on both period instruments and ‘modern’, he is principal cello with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment. In 2009 he joined the London [...]

Shmuel Ashkenasi
We were honoured to host a second visit from Shmuel Ashkenasi to ChamberStudio on 20 May 2012. The Piatti Quartet, Lawson Trio, Celan Quartet (an outstanding Junior group) and the Wu Quartet played in the masterclasses in front of a packed audience in Hall 2. Born in 1941, Israeli violinist Shmuel Ashkenasi began his musical [...]
Ferenc Rados
ChamberStudio hosted a special visit from the distinguished Hungarian musician Ferenc Rados on 27 November 2011. An inspiring day, with the Belcea Quartet, Barbirolli Quartet, Wu Quartet and the Lawson Trio having masterclasses in Hall 2 at Kings Place. Ferenc Rados was Professor of piano and chamber music at the Franz Liszt University of Music. [...]
Registered Charity
We are delighted to announce that ChamberStudio is now a registered charity. This means that we are now officially constituted, and can go full steam ahead with exciting plans for the future. ChamberStudio is indebted to the Richard Carne Trust, Cavatina Chamber Music Trust, Paul Morgan Trust, Coln Trust, Kings Place Music Foundation, and to [...]

Masterclass Calendar
If you are new to ChamberStudio and are interested in receiving information about the upcoming masterclasses, please email us at info@chamberstudio.org and we will add you to the mailing list.

Showcase Concert
ChamberStudio puts on a Showcase concert in Hall 1 at Kings Place each year to provide a high-profile performing opportunity for selected groups from the masterclasses. The last Showcase concert was on 24th June 2012. Please click here to see details of the programme. The previous concert was in May 2011, and this included the Cavaleri [...]

Magazine Articles
Click here to read what people have been reporting about ChamberStudio in the media
Junior Groups
A new expanded Junior Masterclass Day was held on Sunday 3rd February 2013 with James Boyd and Richard Ireland teaching. These special events are open to pre-formed school-age chamber groups. Click here for further information.

Soundbites
Read what participating groups say about ChamberStudio -

Junior Masterclass January 2011
Sevenoaks School visit to ChamberStudio On Sunday 23 January 2011, Nina del Ser, Tabea Haas-Heger and Marcus Mok traveled to London’s hottest new music venue, King’s Place, to take part in the ChamberStudio masterclass series. ChamberStudio offers coaching and support to aspiring up-and-coming chamber groups, and hosts some of the finest chamber musicians in the [...]
London Chamber Music Society Autumn newsletter
Immerse Yourself in Chamber Music on Sundays LCMS Sunday evening concerts are now preceded by chamber music masterclasses at ChamberStudio at Kings Place. Established by Richard Ireland in October 2010, ChamberStudio offers coaching and support to aspiring, up-and-coming post-college chamber groups who are no longer under the wing of an institution. The masterclasses are given [...]

Kings Place What’s On Magazine, Autumn 2011
A Chamber of Musical Secrets… Kings Place plays host to a unique chamber music coaching project, which welcomes eavesdroppers every Sunday afternoon. Helen Wallace listened in: Drop by the Limehouse or Wenlock Room (Level -2) on a Sunday afternoon and you’re in for a musical treat. There you will witness – free of charge – [...]

James Boyd
James Boyd is widely recognised as one of Britain’s finest chamber musicians. He has been a member of some of the country’s foremost ensembles and is in demand as a guest artist with many others. He was a member of the Raphael Ensemble for five years and a founder member of the Vellinger String Quartet. [...]

Martin Lovett
Martin Lovett was born in London in 1927. His father, a cellist in the Halle and London Philharmonic Orchestras, gave him his first cello lessons when he was 11 years old. At fifteen, he was awarded a scholarship at the Royal College of Music in London. In 1947, at the age of nineteen, he formed [...]

Alasdair Tait
Scottish cellist Alasdair Tait has performed in many of the world’s major concert halls and is also much sought after as a chamber music coach and teacher. In 2009 Alasdair took up the position of Head of Chamber Music at Guildhall School of Music and Drama alongside his continuing role as Chief Executive of Young [...]

Fournier Piano Trio
Formed in 2009, the Fournier Piano Trio has been awarded a Leverhulme Chamber Music Fellowship by the Royal Academy of Music for 2010/11. The trio is mentored by renowned pedagogues David Takeno and Christopher Elton and will work extensively with Thomas Brandis at the Royal Academy. They are Park Lane Group Young Artists, appearing in [...]

Christoph Richter
After his studies with André Navarra and Pierre Fournier, Christoph Richter was principal cellist of the Northern Radio Symphony Orchestra in Germany, conducted by Günter Wand. An intense collaboration with Sandor Végh and prizes at international competitions such as Paris (Rostropovich) and Geneva led him to the decision to leave the orchestra. He became professor at [...]

Paul Watkins
Acclaimed for his inspirational performances and eloquent musicianship, Paul Watkins enjoys a distinguished career both as a cellist and as a conductor, and in the 2009/10 season became the first ever Music Director of the English Chamber Orchestra, and also took on the role of Principal Guest Conductor of the Ulster Orchestra. As solo cellist [...]

Levon Chilingirian
Levon Chilingirian was born in Cyprus into a musical Armenian family. In London he studied at the Royal College of Music where he is now a professor. His early influences in music were his uncle, violinist Manoug Parikian, his teacher Hugh Bean, musicologist Hans Keller, and the Amadeus Quartet. His long-standing partnership with Clifford Benson [...]

Robin Ireland
Robin Ireland was born in 1954, son of viola player Patrick Ireland and pianist Peggy Gray. He was a chorister at St Paul’s Cathedral Choir School and studied at Cambridge University and at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He had a short spell as leader of the Las Palmas Symphony Orchestra [...]

Leos Cepicky
Born in 1965, Leos Cepicky started learning the violin at the age of six and took up the piano four years later. Following in his footsteps, both his son Jakub (b. 1990) and daughter, Elisabeth (b. 1995) play the violin and Leos plays with his son in public performances as often as possible. After spending [...]

Golden Piano Trio
“polished, intelligent and colourful playing” Michael Dussek The Golden Piano Trio is an exciting up-and-coming chamber group which was formed at the Dartington International Summer School during summer of 2009. It’s members, all prize winners and scholars from Trinity College of Music, are Valtie Nunn (violin), Paloma Garcia Oliver (cello) and Manuel Lopez Jorge (piano). [...]

Piatti Quartet
Winners of the St. Martin-in-the-Fields Chamber Music Competition, the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund and the Tunnell Trust Award 2010/2011, the Piatti String Quartet are fast emerging as one of the UK’s leading young string quartets. Recently selected as Junior Fellows at the Royal Academy of music and chosen for the Park Lane Group young artist [...]

Marsyas Trio
Emerging as a leading young Flute, Cello and Piano ensemble, the Marsyas Trio was formed by three alumni of the Royal Academy of Music in London. Australian flautist Helen Vidovich, Canadian cellist Valerie Welbanks and pianist Fei Ren from New Zealand met as postgraduate students and have been performing as a trio across the UK [...]

Ligeti Quartet
Mandhira de Saram, Patrick Dawkins, Richard Jones, Valerie Welbanks The Ligeti Quartet was formed in 2010 and is dedicated to promoting 20th and 21st century music of both established and emerging composers. The quartet is comprised of graduates from the Royal Academy of Music, Royal College of Music and Oxford University. They have recently worked [...]

Laura Samuel
Born in London in 1976 Laura studied with Itzhak Rashkovsky at the Royal College of Music, London. Prizes include the Royal Over-Seas League, Musicians Benevolent Fund, Manoug Parikian Award and the TWIYCA Competition, resulting in her South Bank Recital debut. In 1994 she co-founded the Belcea Quartet and was a member for 16 years. The [...]

Wu Quartet
The Wu Quartet was founded at Chetham’s School of Music in 2002. Whilst at Chetham’s the quartet gave many performances at venues such as Lincoln’s Inn, London and the Drill Hall, Lincoln, and were winners of the Dewhurst Torevell Chamber Music Competition and Mozart Chamber Music Award. In 2004 they were invited to perform for [...]

Cavaleri Quartet
Formerly known as the Harpham Quartet, the Cavaleri Quartet were selected as Park Lane Group Young Artists for 2008 and continue to perform in major venues and festivals throughout the UK and abroad. Most recent performance highlights include appearances at the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, Rachmaninov Hall, Moscow and the Cadogan Hall, as [...]

Mediterranea Trio
The Mediterranea Trio was established at the Royal College of Music in 2007 by pianist Elenlucia Pappalardo, violinist Markella Vandoros and cellist Alessandro Sanguineti. The Trio has been coached by Andrew Ball, the Chilingirian Quartet, Gordon Fergus-Thompson, Yuri Zhislin, David Dolan, Geoffrey Govier and Kathron Sturrock and has participated in masterclasses with Eckart Heiligers, Alexander [...]
Lawson Trio
Emerging as one of the finest ensembles of its generation, the Lawson Trio has this year given live recitals for BBC Radio 3 and ABC Classic FM, from the Southbank Centre and as one of the eight finalists of the International Chamber Music Competition in Melbourne, Australia. The ensemble has given three recent recitals at [...]
Steinberg Duo
The Steinberg Duo have recently performed in Canada, Spain, Germany and the throughout the UK. Formed in 2007, the duo are passionate about presenting the wonderful violin & piano repertoire as an equal partnership, and having married in 2008, they are perhaps unusually well-placed to do so! Recent performances include the Rolston Hall at the [...]

David Waterman
David Waterman studied philosophy for six years at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he was awarded a Research Scholarship and MA and PhD degrees, and was a tutor to final-year philosophy undergraduates. In 1979 he became a founder member of the Endellion Quartet, now celebrating its thirtieth year. The Quartet has recorded for Warner Classics ( [...]
Information for Applicants
ChamberStudio has been created to provide an inspiring year-round base where chamber groups can come for high-level masterclasses and support in the early stages of their careers. The masterclasses are one and a half hours long, either 2.30-4 or 4.30-6. The fee for a masterclass is £80. This is heavily subsidised thanks to the generous [...]

Simon Rowland-Jones
Performer, editor, composer and teacher, Simon Rowland-Jones has always led a very busy, all-embracing musical life. He was founder violist of the Chilingirian Quartet, in which he played for a total of ten years, and he has also performed with many other leading chamber groups, including the Nash Ensemble. As a soloist he made a [...]

Krysia Osostowicz
Krysia is one of the leading violinists of her generation, known both as a soloist and a chamber musician. She studied at the Yehudi Menuhin School, at Cambridge University and in Salzburg with Sandor Vegh. She has given concerto and recital performances throughout Europe and made a series of award-winning recordings. Krysia was a founder [...]

Peter Cropper
Peter Cropper was born in Southport, Lancashire, England. He comes from a musical family; his grandfather was Leader of the Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra and his uncle Principal viola player in the BBC Philharmonic for thirty-five years. At the age of thirteen he won a music scholarship to Uppingham School and whilst there joined the National [...]
Susan Tomes
One of Britain’s foremost pianists, Susan Tomes grew up in Edinburgh and was the first woman to study music at King’s College, Cambridge. She is in demand as a recitalist and concerto soloist, and has recorded over fifty CDs, winning many international recording awards. She is particularly renowned for her achievements in chamber music. For [...]

Richard Ireland (Artistic Director)
London-born into a family of string quartet players (his father Patrick was in the Allegri Quartet, and his brother Robin in the Lindsays), Richard studied with Eli Goren and then with Shmuel Ashkenasi, both eminent quartet leaders. He became Teaching Assistant to Shmuel Ashkenasi and stayed in the USA for three years. On return [...]



