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35-526: The quartet retains its founding members, who are: Since its formation at the Royal College of Music in 2001, the Sacconi Quartet has established a secure and substantial reputation. The Quartet 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

70-518: A leading instigator and with the support of the Prince of Wales, a draft charter was drawn up for a successor body to the NTSM. The Royal College of Music occupied the premises previously home to the NTSM and opened there on 7 May 1883. Grove was appointed its first director. There were 50 scholars elected by competition and 42 fee-paying students. Grove, a close friend of Sullivan, loyally maintained that

105-633: A new building was commissioned in the early 1890s on a new site in Prince Consort Road , South Kensington . The building was designed by Sir Arthur Blomfield in Flemish Mannerist style in red brick dressed with buff-coloured Welden stone. Construction began in 1892 and the building opened in May 1894. The building was largely paid for by two large donations from Samson Fox , a Yorkshire industrialist, whose statue, along with that of

140-536: A pianist, Tan developed a passion for the fortepiano , which he has promoted throughout his career, and thereby changed other musicians' perceptions of this instrument. He was invited to play and record on Beethoven's Broadwood instrument . He has now returned mainly to the pianoforte and performs a wide-ranging repertoire from Bach to Messiaen. Of Messiaen, Tan has announced that mastering the composer's Vingt regards sur l'enfant-Jésus has been his proudest accomplishment: "It took me nearly two years to learn it, but it

175-556: A second instrument; so he chose the harpsichord, which began his interest in early keyboards. Upon returning to Singapore in 2005, he was fined for not having done National Service in Singapore , although he was studying in London during the time he was required to serve and did not have an exit permit to MINDEF, he had already started a busy concert career, and he had already acquired British citizenship . During his development as

210-573: A shared passion for string quartet repertoire, infectiously reaching out to audiences with their energy and enthusiasm. The Quartet 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 Associate Artist at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre . The Sacconi Quartet

245-431: A sold-out hall. In Summer 2015 the quartet embarked on an exciting new immersive project called HEARTFELT. A radical reinterpretation of Beethoven's iconic String Quartet in A minor opus 132, HEARTFELT pushed the boundaries of chamber music through combining sound, light and touch, for a truly unique performance in which audience members connected with each performer's heartbeat through holding robotic ‘hearts’. Developed in

280-403: A storm wherever it is performed. The Sacconi Quartet has its own, highly successful, record label. Sacconi Records is expanding by one or two releases each year. In 2011 a disc of Czech quartets was released which has received widespread critical acclaim and was tipped as a classical chart 'Hot Shot' by Classic FM. Their debut recording of Haydn's opus 54 quartets was praised in the press and both

315-674: A unique collaboration with robotics and lighting designers and funded by Arts Council England, HEARTFELT received 4-star reviews from The Guardian and The Independent, and was described by the latter as “a powerful way to experience the visceral physicality of Beethoven’s profound thanksgiving”. www.heartfelt.org.uk To date the Quartet has given twenty world premières and three British premières, including quartets by György Kurtág , Robin Holloway , Paul Patterson , Timothy Salter , John Metcalf and Alun Hoddinott, and recently they performed as

350-575: A wide variety of concert venues including the Amaryllis Fleming Concert Hall, a 468-seat barrel-vaulted concert hall designed by Blomfield, built in 1901 and extensively restored in 2008–09. The Britten Theatre seats 400, and was opened by Queen Elizabeth II in 1986 and is used for opera, ballet, music and theatre. There is also a 150-seat recital hall dating from 1965, as well as several smaller recital rooms, including three organ-equipped Parry Rooms. A £40 million development

385-595: Is James Williams, whose tenure began in September 2024. The College's teaching professoriate numbers over 200 musicians, including internationally known figures like Dmitri Alexeev , Martyn Brabbins , Natalie Clein , Danny Driver , Martin Gatt , Chen Jiafeng , Jakob Lindberg , Mike Lovatt , Patricia Rozario , Brindley Sherratt, Ashley Solomon , Mark-Anthony Turnage , Maxim Vengerov , Roger Vignoles , Raphael Wallfisch and Errollyn Wallen as well as principals of

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420-558: Is a Singapore -born British classical pianist , noted for his study of historical performance practice . From a young age, he went to England to study, first at the Yehudi Menuhin School when he was twelve years old, later enrolling at the Royal College of Music where he studied with Angus Morrison . At the Royal College, he was told by the then director Sir David Willcocks that he would have to study

455-741: Is currently ranked as the worldwide number-one university for performing arts by the QS World University Rankings . The college is one of the four conservatories of the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music and a member of Conservatoires UK . Its buildings are directly opposite the Royal Albert Hall on Prince Consort Road , next to Imperial College and among the museums and cultural centres of Albertopolis . The Royal College of Music

490-618: Is renowned for its vigorous and individual approach to music-making. In 2008, the Quartet held the inaugural Sacconi Chamber Music Festival in Folkestone, Kent. Now in its fifth year, the festival is an established event in the cultural calendar and is expanding year on year with challenging programming and exciting collaborations. The Sacconi Quartet has performed at all the major London venues including Wigmore Hall , Kings Place , Cadogan Hall , Queen Elizabeth Hall , Purcell Room and Conway Hall . They have travelled extensively throughout

525-459: The undergraduate to the doctoral level in all aspects of Western Music including performance, composition, conducting, music theory and history, and has trained some of the most important figures in international music life. The RCM also conducts research in performance practice and performance science . The RCM has over 900 students from more than 50 countries, with professors who include many who are musicians with worldwide reputations. It

560-766: The 19th and 20th centuries. Students in the time of Stanford and Parry included Samuel Coleridge-Taylor , Gustav Holst , Ralph Vaughan Williams and John Ireland . Later alumni include Louise Alder , Sir Thomas Allen , Stanley Bate , Benjamin Britten , Dame Sarah Connolly , Colin Davis , Sir James Galway , Peggy Glanville-Hicks , Gwyneth Jones , Rowland Lee , Neville Marriner , Anna Meredith , Hugh McLean , Tarik O'Regan , Gervase de Peyer , Trevor Pinnock , Anna Russell , Dame Joan Sutherland , Mark-Anthony Turnage , Andrew Lloyd Webber , Julian Lloyd Webber , James Horner , Sir Reginald Thatcher , Michael Tippett and

595-856: The Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. The Quartet also made their first visit to the Middle East in 2009, where they were invited by the British Council to give concerts and workshops in Jordan's capital city, Amman. Highlights of the 2014/15 season include collaborations with Miloš Karadaglić , Ksenija Sidorova and the Vertavo Quartet as well as performances in Switzerland, Spain and across

630-537: The Prince of Wales, stands in the entrance hall. Grove retired at the end of 1894 and was succeeded as director by Hubert Parry. Parry died in 1918 and was succeeded as director by Sir Hugh Allen (1919–37), Sir George Dyson (1938–52), Sir Ernest Bullock (1953–59), Sir Keith Falkner (1960–74), Sir David Willcocks (1974–84), Michael Gough Matthews (1985–93), Dame Janet Ritterman (1993–2005) and Professor Colin Lawson (2005-2024). The College's current Director

665-650: The Ravel and Haydn discs were featured in The Full Works programme on Classic FM. Their 2006 recording of Finzi's song cycle By Footpath and Stile with baritone Roderick Williams for Naxos was well received in all the national broadsheets and BBC Music Magazine. Royal College of Music The Royal College of Music ( RCM ) is a conservatoire established by royal charter in 1882, located in South Kensington , London, UK. It offers training from

700-670: The Royal College of Music’s hall of residence, Prince Consort Village, provides accommodation for more than 400 students and with acoustically treated bedrooms and dedicated practise rooms. The college is a registered charity under English law. The college teaches all aspects of Western classical music from undergraduate to doctoral level. There is a junior department, where 300 children aged 8 to 18 are educated on Saturdays. Since August 2011, RCM has been collaborating with Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts , Singapore, and now offers both undergraduate and taught postgraduate degree programmes, jointly conferred by both institutions. The RCM has

735-646: The UK, including returning to the Wigmore Hall . Highlights of recent seasons include collaborations with Pekka Kuusisto , Freddy Kempf , Mark Simpson and Lavinia Meijer , performances in Germany, Spain, Holland, the Quartet's debut in Italy and the completion of their second major project at Kings Place , performing the great piano quintets over two years with pianist Simon Crawford-Phillips. The Sacconi performed their 10th birthday celebratory concert at Kings Place to

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770-672: The essential chance to experience the sound of their music. The college's first intake of scholarship students included 28 who studied an orchestral instrument. The potential strength of the college orchestra, including fee-paying instrumental students, was 33 violins, five violas , six cellos , one double bass , one flute , one oboe and two horns . Grove appointed 12 professors of orchestral instruments, in addition to distinguished teachers in other musical disciplines including Jenny Lind (singing), Hubert Parry (composition), Ernst Pauer (piano), Arabella Goddard (piano) and Walter Parratt (organ). The old premises proved restrictive and

805-456: The guitarist John Williams . Awards include ARCM (Associate), LRCM (Licentiate) and FRCM (Fellow). Each year the Royal College of Music bestows a number of honorary degrees, memberships and fellowships on individuals who have made an exceptional contribution to life at the RCM and the wider musical community. Melvyn Tan Melvyn Tan Ban Eng ( Chinese : 陈万荣 ; born 13 October 1956)

840-595: 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 . Their latest project, an educational show entitled The String Thing, with script by Matthew Sharp, has gone down

875-584: The major London orchestras including the London Symphony , BBC Symphony , London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia . Since its founding in 1882, the college has been linked with the British royal family and its Patron is His Majesty King Charles III. For 40 years Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother was president; in 1993 Charles III (then Prince of Wales) became president. Opened in 2016,

910-429: The most substantial archive of images of musicians in the UK. The RCM's 600,000 concert programmes document concert life from 1730 to the present day. There are also more than 800 musical instruments and accessories from circa 1480 to the present. Since opening in 1882, the college has had a distinguished list of teachers and alumni, including most of the composers who brought about the " English Musical Renaissance " of

945-726: The museum is a clavicytherium , thought to be the world's oldest surviving keyboard instrument , and the earliest known guitar. Following a £3.6million investment from Heritage Lottery Fund , the Museum underwent a major redevelopment in 2020–21. Owing partly to the vision of its founders, particularly Grove, the RCM now holds significant Collection Materials, dating from the fifteenth century onwards. These include autograph manuscripts such as Anne Boleyn 's Music Book, Chopin 's Minute Waltz , Elgar 's Cello Concerto , Haydn 's String Quartet No. 48 Op. 64/1 and Mozart 's Piano Concerto No. 24 in C Minor K491 . More extensive collections feature

980-518: The music of Herbert Howells and Frank Bridge and film scores by Stanley Myers . Among more than 300 original portraits are John Cawse 's 1826 painting of Weber (the last of the composer), Haydn by Thomas Hardy (1791) and Bartolommeo Nazari 's painting of Farinelli at the height of his fame. A recent addition to the collection is a portrait of the Russian composer Alfred Schnittke by Reginald Gray . 10,000 prints and photographs constitute

1015-478: The new college was a natural evolution from the NTSM. In reality, his aims were radically different from Sullivan's. In his determination that the new institution should succeed as a training ground for orchestral players, Grove had two principal allies: the violinist Henry Holmes and the composer and conductor Charles Villiers Stanford . They believed that a capable college orchestra would not only benefit instrumental students, but would give students of composition

1050-935: The rest of the UK and Europe to venues including Bridgewater Hall in Manchester, Musikverein in Vienna, Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, L'Auditori in Barcelona and Auditorio Nacional de Música in Madrid as well as many venues in Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Finland, Norway and the Czech Republic. In 2008 the Sacconi made their debut at the Liceo de Cámara Madrid, and in 2009 at the Concerts du Midi, Brussels and

1085-539: The school lacked "executive cohesion". The following year Sullivan resigned and was replaced by John Stainer . The original plan was to merge the Royal Academy of Music and the National Training School of Music into a single, enhanced organisation. The NTSM agreed, but after prolonged negotiations, the Royal Academy refused to enter into the proposed scheme. In 1881, with George Grove as

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1120-496: The solo string quartet on Paul McCartney's new song Come Home . The Sacconi Quartet has been joined on stage by many artists including Mark Padmore , Melvyn Tan , Andrew Marriner , Vladimir Ashkenazy , Guy Johnston , Alasdair Beatson, Tom Poster, Matthew Rose, Bellowhead ’s Jon Boden and actor Timothy West . In 2006, baritone Roderick Williams and the Sacconi Quartet made the premiere recording of Gerald Finzi 's 1921-22 song cycle By Footpath and Stile . Firm believers in

1155-565: Was completed in 2021 and the estate’s footprint was almost doubled including the creation of two new performance spaces, the Performance Hall which seats 140 people, and the Performance Studio, an intimate venue for solo and chamber performance. The Royal College of Music Museum houses over 14,000 items, representing a range of music-making activities over a period of more than five centuries. Amongst instruments housed in

1190-538: Was estimated that fewer than ten per cent of instrumentalists in London orchestras had studied at the academy. The NTSM opened in 1876, with Arthur Sullivan as its principal. Under Sullivan, a reluctant and ineffectual principal, the NTSM failed to provide a satisfactory alternative to the Royal Academy and, by 1880, a committee of examiners comprising Charles Hallé , Sir Julius Benedict , Sir Michael Costa , Henry Leslie and Otto Goldschmidt reported that

1225-511: Was founded in 1883 to replace the short-lived and unsuccessful National Training School of Music (NTSM). The idea for the NTSM was initially proposed by the Prince Consort decades before the school opened. Conservatoires to train young students for a musical career had been set up in major European cities, but in London the long-established Royal Academy of Music had not supplied suitable training for professional musicians: in 1870 it

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