Romsey Chamber Music Festival

A huge thank you to everyone that joined us for 'Of Love and Madness'. We'll be back next year 3rd-8th June. More photos and videos coming soon!

Enormous thanks to our wonderful artists this year Emma Roijackers, Luke Hsu, Jose Nunes, Joe Griffin, Lydia Hillerudh, Rainer Crosett, James Trowbridge, Thomas Guthrie, Sophia Jin, Johan Lofving, our brilliant producer Harriet Taylor and all the young musicians from Hampshire that joined us for workshops, masterclasses and performances. The festival would not be possible without generous support from our Friends and Patrons, URC Romsey, St Mark's Ampfield, Romsey Abbey Lunchtime Recitals, Houghton Lodge, Tommy and Kathryn Rickard and our fantastic volunteers and hosts.

Pic credits:
Philip Clewer, Malcolm Smith, Keith Bamber

Yesterday joined us for a workshop followed by our annual family concert, so wonderful to have so many young people in the audience this week!

A wonderful time this week working with young musicians from in a programme of Janacek and Tchaikovsky

📷Philip Clewer

⭐Johan Löfving⭐

Hailed for his “magical playing” (Classical Guitar Magazine), Swedish-born guitarist and theorbo-player Johan Löfving has established himself as one of the outstanding artists of his generation. His expressive playing style, combined with thorough research, has made for uniquely personal interpretations of historical repertoires.

Johan’s solo recitals have taken him to some of the finest halls in Britain such as Kings Place and Sage Gateshead, followed by celebrated chamber music performances at major festivals and venues including Wigmore Hall, London Festival of Baroque Music, and the early music festivals in Brighton and York. Apart from his long-term work with Flauguissimo and flautist Yu-Wei Hu, he has worked with musicians such as baritone and director Thomas Guthrie, tenor Rob Murray and pianist David Owen Norris, who invited him to take part in the Playlist Series on BBC Radio 4. Other radio appearances include Swedish Radio P2 and BBC Radio 3 where he was invited as ‘Home Session’ artist during the national lockdown, presenting the early romantic guitar to a wider audience.

Johan’s solo debut album Fandango! was released in 2020 by Resonus Classics to great critical acclaim and was recorded on an original 19th century guitar. Johan is also a keen teacher and researcher. As a PhD candidate at the University of York, he is currently mapping out the expressive resources of early romantic guitar playing under the supervision of Dr Emily Worthington. Besides teaching and performing, Johan is the co-founder and artistic director of Wermland Early Music Festival, Sweden.

⭐Sophia Jin⭐

Sophia Jin, one of the winners of the Royal Academy of Music’s Early Music Prize, is a captivating singer whose lively and engaging performances have enthralled audiences. Having begun her musical journey at the Purcell School of Music in London, Sophia furthered her studies at the Manhattan School of Music under the tutelage of Catherine Malfitano. She currently pursues her Master of Music at the Royal Academy of Music, guided by Giles Underwood and Iain Ledingham.

⭐Thomas Guthrie⭐ is bringing his acclaimed Schubert Die Schöne Müllerin to Romsey on 28th June - tickets available at www.romseychambermusic.com

A collaborative theatre and music maker, Tom began his musical life as a chorister at St John’s, Cambridge before returning to complete a degree in Classics. Specialising in violin and voice, he won a scholarship to the RNCM where prizes included the Fassbaender Award for Lieder, the Schubert Prize and a scholarship for further study with Sir Thomas Allen in Chicago. From 2007-2009 he was Jette Parker Young Artist Stage Director at the Royal Opera House. Directing credits include Aida (Liceu), Semele (La Scala, Rome, Paris, London, Barcelona), Flying Dutchman, Marriage of Figaro, Magic Flute (Longborough Festival), Dido and Aeneas (Barbican), Donizetti’s Rita and Walton’s The Bear (ROH), Julian Grant’s Hot House (ROH), David Lang’s Shout Out and Public Domain (LSO/Barbican/Spitalfields), Jonathan Dove’s Monster in the Maze (LSO/Barbican, Grange Festival), Purcell’s Fairy Queen and Rossini’s Barber of Seville (ETO). He has revived Andrea Chenier (Beijing, ROH), Barber of Seville, Magic Flute (winner of What’s On Stage Best Revival) and Marriage of Figaro for the ROH.

Recording credits include Die Schöne Müllerin with Barokksolistene (2023), Biber with Sonnerie (winner of a Gramophone Award 2002), Bach Cantatas with Gardiner (2000), and War and Peace, live from Spoleto with Hickox (1999). In 2014 he founded his own charity, Music and Theatre for All, inspired by the idea that storytelling is inherently connected to place and community. MTFA received critical acclaim for its inaugural Death Actually show, which premiered at the Spitalfields Festival. Current projects include the Lewisham Creative Chorus; The Hive, a national network of recycled intimate performance spaces; and Schubert 200, for which he is developing unique performances of each of Schubert’s song cycles for the 200th anniversary of each cycle’s composition.

One week to go! Final tickets remaining at www.romseychambermusic.com

⭐Lydia Hillerudh⭐ is back! You can hear her as soloist in Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile for cello and strings on Tuesday 25th June in Romsey Abbey

Cellist Lydia Hillerudh was born into a musical family in Stockholm, Sweden, as the eldest of seven sisters, all of whom grew up playing the cello. In 2022, she was honored with the prestigious Swedish music award for string players, the Järnåker Prize. Currently active in both the UK and Sweden, recent performances have featured concertos by Schumann and Elgar with the Henley Symphony Orchestra and Wyatt Sinfonia. She has also performed at numerous festivals, including Kempten, Ashwell, Buxton, Islington, Dartington, and Romsey. As an orchestral principal and co-principal, Lydia frequently collaborates with the Swedish Chamber Orchestra, Musica Vitae, and Västerås Sinfonietta.

⭐James Trowbridge⭐

James is currently studying his postgraduate degree at the Royal Academy of Music with professors Graham Mitchell, Tom Goodman and Dominic Seldis. During his time at the Academy he has accumulated a wealth of experience both as an orchestral and ensemble musician, frequently working with some of the major orchestras based in London including the London Symphony Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and the Philharmonia.

James founded the Whitman Ensemble (a double bass and piano quintet) giving their debut performance at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as well as giving his debut in the Wigmore Hall in 2022 for the Academy’s bicentenary year. James also regularly tours internationally with Mario Stefano Pietrodarci’s quintet, most prominently performing at the Festival Stradivari in Italy.

⭐Michael Cohen-Weissert⭐

We have an extra artist to announce 🥳

Michael Cohen-Weissert is a pianist, composer, and conductor. He was born in Jerusalem in 1993 and moved to Berlin in 2008, where he has established himself and is currently based. He has a diverse career, performing as a soloist and conductor with orchestras such as the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra, the Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, Haydn Orchestra of Bolzano, and Norddeutsche Philharmonie Rostock, as well as being a sought-after chamber musician, playing with musicians such as Claudio Bohorquez, Jens-Peter Maintz, Mate Szücs, Mark Bouchkov, and Nur Ben-Shalom amongst others.

As a composer and arranger, he collaborates closely with numerous musicians and projects, such as the project "Lebensmelodien", for which he has composed and arranged over 40 pieces inspired by melodies written between 1933 and 1945. Other musicians and ensembles who frequently play his music are Philharmonix, Tomoki Park, Markus Merkel, and Ni**od Ensemble. In 2018, his first opera, AMALIA!, was premiered in Bolzano.

Believing a modern artist must not only play but also organize, he founded the Charles Rosen-Ensemble, dedicated to the performance and promotion of contemporary music, and he is a co-artistic director at the festival Eole en Musiques in France. His piano teachers were Elena Lapitskaja, Jacques Rouvier, and Stefan Arnold. He also attended composition classes held by Elena Mendoza and Marc Sabat, as well as chamber music classes with teachers such as Artemis Quartet and Eberhard Felz. In addition to his studies, he attended masterclasses and worked with many different musicians such as Claude Frank, Bruno Rigutto, Aldo Ciccolini, Paul Badura-Skoda, and Peter Serkin.

24th-30th June 2024 - 11 events in the heart of the Test Valley performed by world-class musicians. www.romseychambermusic.com

⭐Emma Roijackers⭐ She's back again! A festival regular since RCMF's inception, Emma will be performing Poulenc Violin Sonata with Caspar Vos on Friday 28th June.

Emma has established herself as an active chamber musician, soloist and festival director, performing in the best halls of The Netherlands including The Concertgebouw (broadcast live on national radio) and all over Europe. She has also been invited to play at several renowned international chamber music festivals, such as the International Chamber Music Festival in Utrecht in Holland, the Francigena International Arts Festival and the Festival Internazionale di Musica (Portogruaro) in Italy and the Festival Internacional De Música De Marvão (Portugal). Other recent highlights include premiering Sebastian Fagerlund’s String Trio at a sold out Concertgebouw.

During this season Emma will be giving a variety of chamber music concerts, recitals concerts and concertmaster appearances including Hartmann Concerto at The Concertgebouw, Tchaikovsky Concerto with Bushey Symphony Orchestra in London, leading the orchestra of the National Ballet, the first edition of her festival HearAndNow and recording her debut album with Avatros.

Emma has received a number of awards including the 2nd prize, the audience prize and prize for best performance of the commissioned piece at the Oskar Back competition 2022, the first prize at the 2021 International Competition “Luigi Zanuccoli” (Italy), the third prize at the international Emmanuel Durlet competition (Belgium), the Laberté Hoedemaker Prize (Netherlands, 2013) and she received numerous prizes at the National Prinses Chrsitina Competition (Netherlands).

Our family concert is back on 29th June! Curated and narrated by our very own Lydia Hillerudh, excerpts from the festival programme will be brought to life in a relaxed concert for the whole family. This concert one of our pay-as-you-wish events, tickets are available at

Home | Romsey Chamber Music Festival Romsey Chamber Music Festival, is an annual celebration of chamber music by international award winning young artists.

⭐Jennifer Walsh⭐ Celebrated pianist Jennifer Walsh will be joining trumpeter Imogen Whitehead on 30th June at the URC, Romsey

Jennifer performs across the UK and internationally. She has given recitals at venues including Wigmore Hall, Sala Verdi Milano, Oslo Opera House, Moscow's Rachmaninov Hall and Xinghai Conservatory, China. She has featured a number of times on BBC Radio 3, notably the In Tune programme and BBC Proms Plus. Jennifer is in the process of recording a series of discs profiling British cello and piano repertoire. Her first two discs 'Ireland, Delius & Bax: Cello Sonatas' and 'British Cello Works' - recorded with leading cellist Lionel Handy - have been released by Lyrita to critical acclaim. A third disc, comprising works of Ethel Smyth, Britten and Delius is due for release in 2022.

Jennifer served for several years on the faculty of the Royal College of Music, where she specialised in coaching and accompanying repertoire for piano and strings. She has collaborated with some of the world’s most talented young performers, helping them achieve prize-winning performances at international competitions. She has worked with Maxim Vengerov in delivering his masterclass series for young violinists at the Royal College, as well as serving on the faculty of Aldeburgh Young Musicians, New Virtuosi International (UK & Italy), Festival Quattro Corde (Italy) and Voksenåsen Summer Academy (Norway). She currently teaches at The P***e School, Cambridge.

Jennifer was a DfES scholar at Wells Cathedral School, studying under Hilary Coates, and later graduated from the Royal College of Music, studying under John Blakely and Roger Vignoles. During this period she was awarded several prizes for accompaniment, including the Royal Over-Seas League Accompanist Prize.

⭐Caspar Vos⭐

Caspar Vos started his piano education with Frank Peters at the Artez Conservatory in Arnhem. He continued his studies with Jan Wijn at the Conservatory of Amsterdam, where he concluded his Master studies in 2014 with the Highest Distinction.

Caspar has competed successfully in numerous national and international competitions, including the Grand Dominique Competition in the Netherlands, the 18th International Piano Competition Jean Francaix, and the 8th International Mayenne Piano Competition, both of which were in France. In 2017, Caspar received the Dutch Classical Talent Audience Award for his original new concept 'a programme without a programme.'

As a soloist, Caspar has performed piano concertos by Prokofiev, Mendelssohn and Poulenc. He is also a passionate chamber music player and frequently plays with acclaimed musicians from all over the world. Caspar was invited to play at several national and international music festivals, such as the International Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog and Wonderfeel in the Netherlands, the Aurora Festival in Sweden, the International Medtner Festival in London, and Verão Clássico in Lisbon.

In February 2018 Caspar’s debut-album Ego was released by 7MNTN Records. The CD featured works by the Russian composer Nikolai Medtner. The recording was received with critical acclaim; Luister rewarded it with a 10 and Gramophone wrote "Vos brings out [the music's] constantly changing moods with flair and clear affection. Caspar conveys the sense of surge and repose, mystery and exaltation that is such a hallmark of this composer."

In March 2019 Caspar released his second album Restart, dedicated to the Catalan composer Frederic Mompou. The Dutch newspaper NRC called Restart "an album to cherish" and Trouw wrote "Vos proves himself to be one of the best Dutch pianists of his generation."

Caspar has been invited to teach at the Conservatory of Amsterdam and the Royal Conservatory of The Hague. Besides performing and teaching, Caspar is also the director of the Schiermonnikoog Festival.

Our second masterclass participant is Haru Ogiwara - tickets are available on our website.

Haru Ogiwara began playing the cello at the age of six with Dr. Oliver Gledhill. He has been a student of the Royal College of Music Junior Department (RCMJD), where he studied with Michal Kaznowski and Pal Banda, and graduated with the Freda Dinn and Ida Mabbett Prize. He currently is a student of Professor Hannah Roberts at the Royal Academy of Music where he currently studies with a full scholarship.

As a soloist, chamber musician, and orchestra member he has received numerous honours and performances in various music festivals in Europe, such as the Premier Cup & Recital Prize in the North London Festival, the Gregynog Young Musician String Player of the Year 2020, the Gustav Mahler Competition in Prague- Masterclass Award 2021, the Special Award in Radolfzell Music Festival in Germany and the Cello Masterclass course at the Kronberg Academy with Gary Hoffman in 2022. He has appeared in concerts such as at the Guildhall in London for the annual Lord Mayor’s Reflections, The Youth Music Award Grand Ceremony and as a soloist of the Schumann Cello Concert conducted by Thomas Gregory with the Fortismere Community Symphony Orchestra. In the summer of 2023, he held a sold out Elgar Room recital at the Royal Albert Hall London, and a solo performance at the Wigmore Hall.
​
Haru has been generously supported by the DfES Music and Dance scheme, Awards for Young Musicians, Future Talent, Drake Calleja Junior Scholarship, Wrightson Trust Music Scholarship, J & M Michael, J & A Beares, the Royal College of Music and the Aud Jebsen Scholarship at the Royal Academy of Music

⭐Rainer Crosett⭐

Hailed as “sensational” and for playing with “total commitment and conviction” (Seen & Heard International 2024), cellist Rainer Crosett is quickly building an international career as an artist of uncommon sensitivity and creativity. From his Wigmore Hall recital debut in 2019 as the first American cellist ever to win the Pierre Fournier Award, to his Spring 2023 concerto debut with the Philharmonia Orchestra of London, he regularly appears as a soloist and chamber musician on many of the most renowned stages throughout Europe and North America.

Rainer opens our 2024 festival with a dawn recital on 24th June, tickets are flying for this so do buy yours now: www.romseychambermusic.com

2 months till RCMF 2024 🤩 With 11 events in the heart of the Test Valley, a star-studded line up of artists, we can't wait to get started.

Tickets available at www.romseychambermusic.com

📷Philip Clewer

⭐José Nunes ⭐

Sadly Marthe Husum can no longer be with us this summer but happily this means we can welcome the wonderful José instead!

José Nunes is a Portuguese violist based in Amsterdam. Since August 2023 José he has been co-principal violist at the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra under chief conductor Lahav Shani. José is currently also an artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel, under the guidance of Miguel da Silva.

He finished his master’s studies with distinction at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Nobuko Imai and Francien Schatborn in 2020. During the same period, he was an Academist of the Netherlands Philharmonic Orchestra and Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, and he held a scholarship from the Gulbenkian Foundation in Lisbon.

In 2022 José was the violist of the ADAM quartet, at the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. He is also a regular guest player in the Radio Filharmonisch Orkest, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, a member of Orquestra XXI and an alumnus of the European Union Youth Orchestra.

José has participated in numerous festivals such as the Festival Schiermonnikoog, Academia Isola Classica, Davos Festival, Moritzburg Festival, and Santander Festival. He has had masterclasses from distinguished professors such as Ettore Causa, Hartmut Rohde, Antoine Tamestit, Veit Hertenstein and Tatjana Masurenko. As a chamber musician, José has played with and been coached by the Juilliard Quartet, Christian Poltéra, Mi-Kyung Lee, Frans Helmerson and Mihaela Martin.

⭐Imogen Whitehead⭐

Imogen is Principal Trumpet of Britten Sinfonia. She often performs as guest Principal Trumpet with Aurora Orchestra, Royal Northern Sinfonia and English National Opera and is a regular guest player with the London Symphony and Royal Philharmonic Orchestras. Imogen is an alumna of Southbank Sinfonia (2016) and a regular deputy for Les Misérables in the West-End.

As a soloist, Imogen has premiered numerous works including Stephen Dodgson’s Trumpet Concerto and Trinculo by Sally Beamish, commissioned for her by the Park Lane Group. Imogen has also undertaken studies with renowned soloist Tine Thing Helseth thanks to funding from the Royal Philharmonic Society.

In 2022 Imogen made her international recital debut in France and recorded Barry Mills’ new Concerto for Trumpet and Flugelhorn with the Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra (Czech Republic). Imogen aims to champion the flugelhorn and expand its repertoire with new commissions and arrangements. Her latest commission is a piece by Charlotte Harding for solo flugelhorn, funded by the Vaughan Williams Foundation, which will be premiered at RCMF. In 2018, Imogen gave World Premiere performances of two flugelhorn concerti, written for her by Aleksandr Brusentsev (Threads, January 2018) and Leo Geyer (Somewhere In-Between, June 2018).

*New music* 🥳 This year we have a plethora of music from today's wonderful composers, including Mrs Sasson by Erin Snape for String Quartet and tape which is taken from the National Theatre's production of Macbeth featuring Judi Dench. Hear this plus much more on Thursday 27th June. Tix available at www.romseychambermusic.com

⭐Ziteng Fan⭐

Another RCMF OG 😍 Chinese-born Finnish pianist Ziteng Fan is a versatile musician who has appeared in solo recitals and chamber music concerts in the UK, Finland, Denmark, Estonia, Portugal, Germany, Belgium and China. She has performed as a soloist with the Finnish Radio Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Camerata and the Helsinki Junior Strings. She has also appeared in various festivals, including Romsey Chamber Music Festival, Musica Nova Helsinki, SibaFest and Musica Mundi International Chamber Music Festival. Her musical career has been generously supported by organisations such as Dartington Hall Trust, Finnish Wihuri Foundation and Martin Wegelius Foundation. She was twice selected as “Young Artist of the Year” by Zonta International and Finnish Rotary Club.

www.romseychambermusic.com

Shakespeare's peerless feeling for the music of the English language has inspired composers for centuries. Our concert on Thursday 27th June culminates with Beethoven's Op. 18 No. 1. While sketching some striking passages near the end of the second movement , Beethoven jotted down references to Romeo and Juliet depicting the tomb scene: his arrival, his despair, his su***de, and the final sighs.

We'll also hear Tchaikovsky's Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture in a gorgeous arrangement by the dearly missed violist Vladimir Mendelssohn for piano septet.

Tickets: www.romseychambermusic.com

⭐Luke Hsu⭐

Violinist Luke Hsu is a familiar face in Romsey. Hailed as “in a class by himself with total command of the instrument” (Montreal Gazette), offering “genius interpretations” (Le Soir, Brussels) with “no-holds-barred gusto” (IndyStar), Luke Hsu is sought after around the world as a violinist and composer. ​Luke has appeared as a soloist at Wigmore Hall, Windsor Castle, Kennedy Center, Herkulessaal, Philharmonie Berlin, BOZAR, and many others. He has soloed with numerous renowned orchestras, most recently with the Sinfonieorchester Basel, Sudeten Philharmonic, Belgian National Orchestra, and the Royal Chamber Orchestra of Wallonia, and worked closely with eminent conductors such as Leonard Slatkin, Pascal Vierrot, Nikolaj Znaider, Hugh Wolff, Cristian Macelaru and Jean-Jacques Kantarow.

​A laureate of the Queen Elisabeth competition, Luke has won prizes at many of the most prestigious violin competitions in the world. He won the Bronze Medal, the Bach Prize, and the Mozart Sonata Prize at the 10th Quadrennial International Violin Competition of Indianapolis and the 1st prize at the ISANGYUN Competition. Luke has been consistently lauded for his interpretations of Mozart, receiving another special prize for them at the Wieniawski. His other major prizes have come from the Nielsen, Wieniawski, Michael Hill, and Paganini competitions.

www.romseychambermusic.com

Our masterclass is back this year and features local young violinist Rose Gosney.

Rose Gosney is from Southampton and trained at the Yehudi Menuhin School and Royal Academy of Music Junior Department. Now 17, she has just been made the new leader of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and holds the seat as both a Leverhulme Scholar and Blavatnik Scholar.

Most recently Rose won the Beaulieu Music Competition and became the inaugural recipient of the Pelham Award given in honour of Michael Pelham. In January last year she was invited to perform live on BBC Radio 3 and most recently she performed the Bruch Violin Concerto with the New Forest based professional orchestra Nova Foresta Classical Players. In 2016 Rose performed a duet with Nicola Benedetti in a special Royal Gala Concert to mark the centenary of Yehudi Menuhin. She was also twice awarded a Leverhulme Scholarship with the National Children’s Orchestra at the age of 9.

Her musical interests range from baroque to modern classical, however she especially enjoys the virtuosic violin repertoire from the romantic era. Rose is currently preparing for her A-Levels at Peter Symonds College in Wi******er and forthcoming concerts include the BBC Proms in August and the Sibelius Violin Concerto with conductor Phillip Daish-Handy in November 2024. In 2025 Rose will be performing the Korngold Violin Concerto in Bournemouth, the Mendelssohn Violin Concerto in Romsey Abbey and the Bruch Concerto in the Turner Sims Concert Hall with conductor Paul Ingram and the Southampton Concert Orchestra.

Tickets and more information is available at www.romseychambermusic.com

⭐Natalie Loughran⭐We have a host of new artists this year, so time for some introductions!

American violist Natalie Loughran is quickly establishing herself as one of the most versatile young artists of our time. Natalie was awarded First Prize at the 2021 Primrose International Viola Competition, along with the Audience Award, as well as the BIPOC Composer Prize for her arrangement and performance of William Grant Still’s ‘Mother and Child’. She has also appeared as a finalist for the 2020 Young Concert Artist Auditions, and was awarded a special prize for her performance of the Bowen Viola Sonata in C Minor at the Tertis International Viola Competition. Natalie has also been awarded with the William Schuman prize for her outstanding leadership and achievement in music from the Juilliard School.

Read more about Natalie and all of our 2024 artists at www.romseychambermusic.com

*Free* concert (yes really!). We're back in Romsey Abbey on Tuesday 25th June with another programme packed full of gorgeous music. Chausson's Poeme, inspired by Turgenev's Song of Love Triumphant, blends French impressions of the East with intense drama. Tomi Raisanen's revised Midsommer(so)natten for two violin and tape receives its world premiere, Janacek's charming early work Suite for Strings closes this concert and Lydia Hillerudh stars in Tchaikovsky's Andante Cantabile for cello and strings.

Donations are of course warmly encouraged, and we recommend coming down to the Abbey early, last year the Abbey was packed.

RCMF 2024 begins with a dawn recital at the spectacular Houghton Lodge Gardens on Midsummer's Day🪻🌷 In keeping with the latter part of this year's theme 'of love and madness', Cellist Rainer Crosett will be performing a solo recital of Bach and Britten at 6am (yes really!) on 24th June on the banks of the River Test, tickets are now available from our website.

Happy Valentine's! Our 2024 Programme is now on sale. With romance, lust, jealousy, unrequited love, forgiveness and insanity, however you feel about today there's probably something for you in this year's programme 🤣 Full details, artists and tickets are all on our website ❤️