THE North York Moors Chamber Music Festival is presenting a concert by the Albion Quartet at 7pm on May 16 at St Michael’s Church, Coxwold. The Quartet will perform Mozart’s String quartet no. 15 in D minor, Beethoven’s String Quartet op 18 no. 5 in A major, and after the Dvorák’s String Quartet no. 13 in G Major. Tickets are £12.50 with free admission to under 30s, available online from www.northyorkmoorsfestival.com.

Formed in 2016, the Albion Quartet unites four outstanding young string players, brought together by a shared belief in the visceral power of the string quartet. The players are Tamsin Waley-Cohen and Emma Parker on violin, Ann Beilby, viola, and Nathaniel Boyd, ‘cello. The members of the quartet play on a fine collection of instruments, including a Stradivarius and Guarnerius.

In the past three years, they have performed at the Louvre in Paris, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Robert Schumann Gesselschaft in Frankfurt, Båstad Festival in Sweden, Festival of Music in Franconia and Rhine Valley Music Festival in Germany, as well as the Hay Festival in the UK.

Passionate about musical education, the quartet holds a residency at the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama, where they regularly give masterclasses and performances in the Dora Stoutzker Hall. As a Cavatina Chamber Music Trust ensemble, they also give frequent workshops at primary school level, where they are thrilled to share the magic of chamber music with children from diverse backgrounds.

In 2020, they will be extending their educational work even further by launching ‘Friends of the Albion Quartet’, aimed at developing mini-residencies with schools in the state sector and in the special needs category to help these children to connect more deeply to classical music and find inspiration through experiencing music in an interactive and accepting environment.