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Since its formation at the Royal College of Music in 2001,
the Sacconi Quartet has established a secure and substantial
reputation. The Quartet, Ben Hancox, Hannah Dawson, Robin
Ashwell and Cara Berridge, is recognised for its unanimous
and compelling ensemble, performing with style and
commitment and consistently communicating with a fresh
and imaginative approach. Its four founder members demonstrate
a shared passion for string quartet repertoire,
infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy
and enthusiasm.
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Over the past decade they have enjoyed a
highly successful international career, performing regularly
throughout Europe, at London’s major venues, in recordings and
radio broadcasts. The Sacconi is Quartet in
Association at the Royal College of Music and Quartet in
Residence at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre.
Highlights of the coming season include a tour to Germany in the autumn
and their 10th birthday celebratory concert at Kings Place in January
2012. Having curated a week of concerts there in 2009, the Sacconi will
complete their second major project at Kings Place in September,
performing the great Piano Quintets over two years with pianist Simon
Crawford-Phillips. Recently, they made their Cheltenham Festival debut,
performing the première of pianist Gwilym Simcock’s new Piano Quintet.
Firm believers in the importance of bringing chamber music to the next
generation, the Sacconi Quartet dedicates much passion, time and energy
to education work. They regularly lead workshops and give schools and
family concerts as part of the Sacconi Chamber Music Festival outreach
programme and the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust.
The Sacconi won First Prize at the Trondheim International String
Quartet Competition and the Kurtág Prize at the Bordeaux International
String Quartet Competition in 2005, as well as First Prize in the
Royal Over-Seas League Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet won
Second Prize, the Sidney Griller Award and the Esterhazy Prize at
the 2006 London International String Quartet Competition. In 2006
they were also selected for representation by Young Concert Artists
Trust (YCAT), awarded an Angel Award by The Herald newspaper for
outstanding performances in the Edinburgh Festival and nominated for a
Royal Philharmonic Society Award.
The name Sacconi Quartet comes from the outstanding twentieth-century
Italian luthier and restorer Simone Sacconi, whose book The Secrets
of Stradivari is considered an indispensable reference for violin
makers. Hancox plays an 18th century Italian violin on loan from
an anonymous owner, and Dawson an unknown Italian from 1750. Ashwell
plays a large Sacconi viola made in New York in 1934 and Berridge a
Nicolaus Gagliano cello from 1781, both generously on loan to them.
Berridge wishes to thank the Royal Society of Musicians for the use
of the cello. The Royal Society of Musicians is a charity which helps
musicians in need.
More info
http://www.sacconi.com
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The Sacconi Quartet Program
Haydn - String Quartet in C, opus 20, no. 2
Mendelssohn - String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, opus 13
John Ireland String Quartet No. 1 (to mark the 50th anniversary of the composer's death)
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