We are fortunate to have such a world-class faculty of instrumental and vocal tutors working with our students at Royal Holloway. Here are a few recent successes from our Visiting Tutor of Viola, Shiry Rashkovsky.
Shiry Rashkovsky hosting an event at Up Close and Musical
Shiry commissions Errollyn Wallen to write a viola quintet
Shiry has commissioned Errollyn Wallen to write a viola quintet, ‘LENCTEN’, and is delighted to have been awarded grants from the Vaughan Williams Foundation, Hinrichsen Foundation, and Marchus Trust. She will be recording LENCTEN with the Solem Quartet for Delphian Records, alongside Mendelssohn’s quintet in A major which they performed at King’s Place on 4.2.24. The world premiere will be on 17.3.24 at Stour Valley Arts, and further highlights include featuring as The Strad’s ‘Premiere of the Month’ and upcoming performances at Up Close and Musical on 2.10.24 as well as other performances throughout the current season.
Up Close and Musical
Shiry’s genre-defying festival Up Close and Musical had its third edition in October 2023, and featured sold-out performances by: Chi-chi Nwanoku and Chineke! Soloists; a storm-themed classical and musical theatre programme by Trio Klein with award-winning mezzo-soprano Lucy Schaufer and pianist Ben Dawson, which was featured on BBC Radio 3’s In Tune; an up-close look at the making of the classical blockbuster hit Chevalier with violinist/actor Ronald Long; a magical folk-infused jazz set by the inimitable Alice Zawadzki with bassist Misha Mullov-Abbado and pianist Fred Thomas; a familiar and heart-warming programme by internet sensations and Sony Classical/Decca artists Esther Abrami and Alexandra Whittingham; and a collaborative night with October House Records featuring cutting edge compositions and improvisations by the stellar Héloïse Werner with violist Max Baillie and multi-instrumentalist Shri Sriram. All performances feature candid interviews with the artists led by Shiry, and have been featured in the Strad, BBC Music Magazine, City AM, Culture Whisper, BBC Radio 3 and Scala Radio.
Details for 2024 will be released soon. For full information about Up Close and Musical, please visit their website: up close and musical
