Royal Northern Sinfonia Violist Malcolm Critten has Died

Critten, who was principal violist of the ensemble for 37 years, passed away following a short illness

British violist Malcolm Critten, who served as the principal violist of the Royal Northern Sinfonia (RNS) for 37 years, has passed away following a brief illness.

Originally from Manchester, Critten and his siblings all studied the violin in childhood. He then went to Chetham's School of Music, before studying with Nobuko Imai at the Royal Northern College of Music.

At the conclusion of his studies, Critten freelanced for a short while, before winning a trial in the RNS. He became a fully-fledged member of the ensemble in 1987 and stayed in the position until very recently.

A board member of the Newcastle Chamber Music Society, Critten was also studying for a master's degree in music education at Trinity College.

You can hear Critten speaking about his life and work below.