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Education

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The Wihan Quartet is committed to the education and encouragement of young musicians.

In 2003 the Quartet ended its three- year term as 'Resident Quartet' at Cranfield School of Management and is now 'Visiting Quartet-in-Residence' at Trinity College of Music, London.

When in the UK, The Wihan work regularly for the CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust, giving concerts in schools to help develop a love of chamber music amongst young people. For the past two years the Quartet has coached on both the Pro Corda Senior Summer Course and Pro Corda Musical Encounters for young professional ensembles. They have also given masterclasses at the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama in Cardiff and will visit the University of Bangor and Chetham's School, Manchester for the first time in 2005.

The quartet members are inspiring teachers and hugely popular with students of all ages. This cannot be expressed better than in the Pro Corda newsletter after their first visit to Leiston in August 2003:

“There are musicians and musicians, String Quartets and String Quartets! The Wihan is by all accounts one of those Quartets that was made in Heaven. The Wihans' performances linger in the memory, their coaching inspires players of all ages, and their personalities shine through even to the extent of joining in the fun and hilarity of a fancy dress dinner party . Their generosity knows few boundaries as they willingly share their art with us - two spectacular concerts in the Upper Guesten Hall during the Senior Course (Czech String and Piano music with fellow country artist Jana Frenklova, and specially written works based on Beatles melodies) It was thus a sheer delight to share ten days of a Senior Course with an ensemble of this calibre. A well known budget airline deserves the nation's chamber music lovers' wholehearted thanks for now making it as financially viable for a Czech Quartet to travel to the UK as it would be for four young men to travel from London to Leeds by train! The Wihans are here to stay! - their international diary contains visits to all parts of Europe, North America, Japan, the UK and last but certainly not least - Leiston. The Quartet will be returning in December to be the resident coaching ensemble at our Musical Encounters Course which is held each year for young established groups that are currently studying at Music Colleges. No one on the August course will have failed to have been touched in some way or another by these remarkable four young men - four in one and one in four!”

 

From Ioan Davies, Director, Musical Encounters, Pro Corda,

“I just had to email now to say what a marvellous evening we had with the Wihan's concert. Absolutely stunning! The programme proved to be a masterpiece of planning and execution for such a course. Everyone has gone off to the rehearsal studios totally inspired! Midnight, 12 December 2004”

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Sacconi Quartet members at Pro Corda ‘Musical Encounters’ December 04:

From Ben Hancox, 1st violin:

“We have worked and studied a great deal with the Wihan Quartet. Their ability to inspire through their playing and their teaching is astonishing.

Their constant quest to better themselves and rediscover the music is a great quality. Each player has something unique to offer in their teaching of the repertoire.”

From Hannah Dawson 2nd violin:

“For two years in succession, we, the Sacconi Quartet, have been fortunate enough to take part in the Musical Encounters’ master classes at Pro Corda in Leiston Abbey, Suffolk, where we were coached by the Wihan Quartet. The first night the Wihan played Mozart and Dvorak. Their astounding playing captivated the audience and entranced by their interpretation of these quartets, we were all visibly overcome by their enviable virtuosity, which provided the catalyst for an inspired week of study. We brought with us Beethoven’s ‘Op74 “Harp’ Quartet and Janacek’s String Quartet No 2, which we had learnt the previous year. They painstakingly took us through every corner of this work. Learning Czech Music with Czech musicians was so important. They passed on this magical language that is inherent to Czech people.

The ‘Harp’ was one of the first quartets that we learnt together, (just over 3 years ago) and we decided that it could really do with a bit of a revamp! With guidance from the Wihan on this compelling work, by the end of the week it was virtually unrecognisable.”

From Robin Ashwell, viola:

“The Wihan Quartet are inspiring and demanding professors. As a group they compliment each other's teaching excellently, combining all techniques of teaching: demonstration by playing solo, playing within the quartet they are teaching, and playing together as a quartet; explanation and debate of musical issues, for example sound, character, phrasing etc; help with the technical problems that every student quartet must conquer, for example corporate sound, intonation, vibrato, ensemble etc. Their lessons take many different styles: at one extreme they can be the teacher who says very little but gives huge inspiration by simply the gesture on their face or a movement of their hand; at the other extreme they can be patient methodical teachers who will work slowly in painstaking detail, always supportively, to achieve a highly polished final result.

Performing in front of one’s students is always a daunting task, and the Wihan Quartet felt this just as much as any other professor would at their concert at the start of the Pro Corda Musical Encounters course. Despite this, maybe even because of this, their concert was on a level that few of us had ever experienced in all our concert- going lives. Many students, including myself, were utterly speechless as they left the stage, and this, of course, was greatest lesson of them all.”

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From David Kenedy, Head of Chamber Music, Trinity College of Music:

“The Wihan Quartet provides students at Trinity College of Music with an outstanding role model, both in the highest possible standard of its performances, and in its regular Masterclasses at the College. The warmth of the Quartet sound is matched by the warm human qualities of each of its members, and each of the four has something unique and valuable to offer. Assistance is offered to advanced and inexperienced groups in an equally generous, positive and inspiring manner, sometimes highly entertaining, and always with a friendly smile. By giving the best of themselves, they encourage students to do likewise, and their coaching and their own playing, given freely, demonstrates and passes on in the best possible way their unquestionable love and respect for their art.”

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The Tallis Quartet of Junior Trinity, November 2004

Hannah Vincent (1st violin):

"It was fantastic to learn from a quartet with such energy, skill and good communication. They were an inspiration to us all."

Joanna Hort (2nd violin):

"It was such a privilege to be coached by such a great quartet, that is so knowledgeable and enthusiastic."

Jenny Coombes (viola):

"The Wihan Quartet helped raise my quartet playing to another level."

Daniel James (cello):

"Their generosity and commitment in helping to develop young quartets is truly amazing."

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