“sublimely articulate and”
concentrated readings,”
  – Gramophone

Villiers Quartet

String quartet

The Villiers Quartet are the Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Oxford and Nottingham High School.

 

Hailed as one of the most charismatic and “adventurous” quartets of the British chamber music scene (The Strad), the Villiers Quartet have developed an international reputation as exceptional interpreters of English composers including Elgar, Delius, Fricker and Bush.

Formed in 2010, their Fricker recording was CD of the month in the Strad, “A true discovery” Classical Zaken, “Moments of supreme radiance” Europadisc.

The Villiers Quartet have performed live on BBC Radio 3 as part of the Leamington International String Quartet Series, and performed at numerous festivals and halls including the North York Moors Chamber Music Festival, the Brit Jazz Fest, the Barnes Music Festival, Kings Place, St. John’s Smith Square, the Holywell Music Room and the

British Music Society.

The VQ is also regular visitors to Dartmouth College, Syracuse University, USA.

Their internationally acclaimed VQ New Works Competition encourages audiences to interact with contemporary music performance online, and supports the creation of new

works for string quartet.

Read more about the Villiers Quartet on their website www.villiersquartet.com

News
  • Villiers Quartet featured in the Oxford Musician magazine
    01-12-2021

  • Villiers Quartet featured in the Oxford Musician magazine

  • Leo Melvin joins Villiers Quartet
    06-01-2021

    We are delighted to announce that cellist Leo Melvin has joined the Villiers Quartet!
    Leo is London-born and graduated with honours from the Guildhall School of Music and Drama, where he studied on full scholarship, with Richard Lester. Leo also studied in Hamburg, Germany with professors Kleif Carnarius, Claudio Bohorquez and Troels Svane. He has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and Philharmonia Orchestra, given solo and chamber recitals across the UK, and he also teaches cello and piano in London.
    Leo has performed several Concerti (including Dvorak, Schumann, Haydn D and Brahms Double) with various orchestras such as Sinfonia D’Amici and Kings Sinfonietta and recorded a solo cello track for Howard Goodall’s CD release ‘Enchanted Voices.’ In October 2013, Leo was invited to play with the Chamber Orchestra of Europe on their Academy Program and has performed with the orchestra in Dijon.

    Leo comments “I am really honoured and hugely excited to join the Villiers Quartet. I have worked for some years now as an orchestral musician and a teacher, but all the while I was playing chamber music with friends and colleagues and it was always my favourite thing to do. I have dreamed of being in a professional chamber group for some ten years now, and despite finally achieving my goal at such a difficult time for professional music-making I am still extremely excited and feel so privileged to work on and perform such great music with such wonderful musicians as the members of the Villiers Quartet. In short, I’m ecstatic to be here and can’t wait to get to work!”

  • New first violinist for the Villiers Quartet!
    29-06-2020

    We are delighted to welcome Katie Stillman, you can read the announcement on their website: http://villiersquartet.com/2020/06/08/newfirstviolinist/
    You can hear Katie play with Tamaki and Carmen in Dvořák ‘s Cavatina from Miniatures Op. 75a: https://youtu.be/8XjI5sApjac

  • The VILLIERS QUARTET : a new chapter!
    17-02-2020

    The Villiers Quartet embarks on a new chapter for the 2020/21 season. They are having a personnel change.
    Quartet founders Tamaki Higashi and Carmen Flores, whom you all know so well from your past relationships with the quartet, are continuing the Villiers forward with exciting and first-class musicians. They are looking forward to this new chapter and cannot wait to reveal the new members, with whom they are working now to prepare the upcoming season. With their new energy and outstanding musicianship, the Villiers Quartet continue their spirited journey of exploring the art of string quartet. Known for their live performances that are intellectually imaginative and deeply emotional, the Villiers also remain strong in their commitment to uncovering and sharing treasures of British repertoire.

  • The Villiers will release their seventh CD

    In March 2020 the Villiers will release their seventh CD on the respected Lyrita Records label: String Quartets by William Alwyn.  Alwyn was a prolific composer for British cinema in the 1940s and 50s, scoring films such as Swiss Family Robinson and The Fallen Idol. The Villiers Quartet offer Alwyn’s beautiful one-movement Quartet No. 9 – based on Shakespeare’s Romeo & Juliet – of which they have made the world premiere recording for Lyrita.

    In collaboration with Oxford University and the British Library, the Villiers also continue their Delius Discovery project, which highlights the chamber music of Frederick Delius and offers fresh insight and interpretations of his compositions. The Villiers are proud to be a part of this cherished musical history and offer Delius in their upcoming programme.

VIDEOS
villiers quartet

“Superb throughout” – The Observer

“Moments of supreme radience” – Europadisc review

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