From January to May of this year, the Villiers led their project VQ Create, a series of online composition workshops for young people aged 14 - 18 to explore the world of string quartet composition. The Villiers worked with four schools in this project: St. Marylebone School (London), Graveney School (London), Framingham Early High School (Norfolk) and Trinity Catholic School (Nottingham). Most of this project took place during lockdown, with the students meeting virtually with the Villiers. With the help of their teachers and mentors, the students wrote short works to express their creativity during this time. Many of the students had never written for quartet before. This concert showcases the final compositions that have come out of this project.
Programme:
Juliette Wegrzyn - familiar feeling
Nancy Sparrowhawk - The Maiden’s Melancholy Heart
Sam Newell - Spring Showers
Remi Griffiths – Un Scherzo Rondo
Esme Hill - Temperament
Zipporah Fornah – Moonlight Shadows
Leo Scanlon - VQCreate
Oliver Macmullan - wave
Elye Cuthbertson – The Swashbuckler
Mia Odeleye - Appropriated Sound
https://www.youtube.com/embed/D2i9OQhWmWU
Named after Villiers Street in London, the Villiers Quartet encompasses the grand and iconic spirit of the extraordinary music tradition in Britain and has been praised for “exquisite ensemble playing” (Seen & Heard International), and their absolute “commitment and virtuosity” (The Sunday Times). The Villiers Quartet is the Quartet-in-Residence at the Jacqueline Du Pré Music Building at St. Hilda’s College, Oxford University.
