The Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama Announces New Resident Ensembles

The award-winning Carducci and Fibonacci String Quartets will be joining the school over the next two years 

With the support of The Frost Music Trust, and additional funding from the Colwinston Charitable Trust, the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama (RWCMD) has launched a new two-year string quartet residency, featuring the Carducci String Quartet and the Fibonacci Quartet. 

In Cardiff, Wales, the residency will include three high-profile concerts annually at the College’s Dora Stoutzker Hall, alongside chamber coaching, mentoring, and workshops in local schools and communities.   

Over the next two years, both quartets will receive significant financial support through the residency as they help nurture the next generation of musicians. 

The Fibonacci Quartet has been an emerging star with the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) and was a recent winner of the Borciani International String Quartet competition. Having performed around the world, the Carducci String Quartet has won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition and First Prize at Finland’s Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition.

At RWCMD, both groups will rehearse and perform, while offering students mentorship, artistic insight, and contemporary approaches to performances. 

Currently, partnerships with several arts organizations are being formed to craft projects with the quartets to inspire emerging musicians and break down barriers to high-quality music education.     

“This exciting new residency brings two extraordinary string quartets into the College, at very different stages of their careers, and each with unique energy and vision at a pivotal time for the arts,” said Principal of RWCMD, Helena Gaunt in the press release. “We are providing them with a creative base in a creative community, and stability to grow their artistry in an environment that nurtures collaboration and innovation.  But it’s not just about musicians perfecting their craft; it’s about making a real difference.

“In today’s climate of real challenges for the arts, the quartets together with our students will become increasingly embedded within local communities through public engagement, working in education and even healthcare,” she added. “ We want to equip our students to be impactful leaders in society, and to build both the artistic skills and practical experience to be able to do this.’”

“The Frost Trust is delighted to support this very valuable and innovative residency,” said Trustee David Waterman. “The Trust has a dual purpose in setting up these residencies: to help some British string quartets to survive, grow, and develop a home in their region, providing some stability in a precarious existence. And to encourage and inspire youngsters in the region to love string playing and chamber music.  The Royal Welsh College is perfectly situated to realize our aims, with its fine concert hall, its strong and developing chamber music ethos, its outstanding chamber music teachers, and its outreach connections with regional schools and charities which aim to foster string playing in youngsters. We want to assist inspiring and hardworking teachers who have been working against the odds to pass on the immense gift of classical music to the next generations.”

“We see this residency as an opportunity to develop fresh, collaborative projects and establish meaningful connections within the College and the wider community,” expressed the Carducci String Quartet. “The dynamic exchange of ideas and the chance to work in such an inspiring environment will help us refine our own artistic vision while fostering new opportunities for local engagement.”