NEWSLETTER_Newsletter Mar10 - Cavatina Chamber Music Trust

Registered Charity No. 1067716 Issue February 2012
One more year has flown by! It is
difficult to imagine that CAVATINA
has been in existence for 13 years.
When one tries to scan the
continuous progress that the Trust
has made from very modest
beginnings one is amazed at the way our
activities have grown. Clearly our mission
“CAVATINA brings Chamber Music to young
people and young people to Chamber
Music…” resonates among music lovers - young
and not so young. The fact that the CAVATINA
Family Concerts in Swiss Cottage Library were
so well attended encouraged us to expand in
order to be able to accommodate a bigger
audience. We now have a larger size venue in
Fitzjohn’s Primary School in NW3, and a new
series at the French Institute in SW7. All our
activities are progressing well. This is mostly due
to the fact that we have recruited a
talented team of creative helpers responsible for
specific activities. The CAVATINA family
is growing. We have a second website,
www.cavatinaconcerts.net listing all CAVATINA
tickets under the Ticket Scheme, Family concerts
etc. Really worth a look! This Newsletter
describes the main highlights of the year. These
include exciting developments such as our close
association with Wigmore Hall, new Chamber
Music Competitions and exciting events
organised by the CAVATINA Ambassadors. The
CAVATINA Ticket Scheme at Wigmore Hall is an
unqualified success. Up to 50 FREE tickets are
available at 30 pre-selected concerts and
disappear within days of the opening booking
dates. It is truly heart-warming to see these
young faces alongside the older stalwarts of the
Wigmore. This is truly an example of ‘mission
fulfilled’…
Simon Majaro
CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust
NEWSLETTER
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The Sacconi Quartet present the
CAVATINA Family Concert
On November 28th, 2011, we returned to the
Wigmore Hall for the annual CAVATINA concert.
This year the Sacconi Quartet gave an entertaining
and interactive concert to a large audience of
parents and children, who much appreciated their
lively programme.
The next CAVATINA concert on December 8th
2012 will feature Schubert’s ‘Trout’ Quintet, one
of the most beautiful pieces in the chamber music
repertoire. Do come! (Bookable from July)
Two New Venues for Family Concerts
Family concerts in northwest London moved
from the Swiss Cottage library for the Autumn
Term 2011 to the charming Fitzjohn’s Primary
School, where they are proving even more
successful. Audiences have filled the school hall
and we have already received encouraging
comments: (i) ‘The last three concerts have been
fantastic!! Please may I register for 2 of the three
Spring 2012 concerts.’ (ii) ‘….. to all involved in
this wonderful initiative - we feel very fortunate to
be able to experience the family concerts and will
certainly be attending in the New Year! It is
something very special you have created there,
many thanks for providing such an amazing
opportunity to so many.’
Sacconi Quartet at Fitzjohn’s Primary School

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We set up an extra series of family concerts at
The French Institute in southwest London in the
autumn: ‘Thanks to the CAVATINA Chamber
Music Trust, l’Institut Français au Royaume-Uni
(the French Institute SW7) has been able to
launch a new series of family concerts. They take
place in the beautiful listed library of the building
in South Kensington. Since October three
concerts featuring the Carducci Quartet, the
Badke Quartet and the Thorne Trio have taken
place. These concerts are very well received by
our audience, and with the continuing support of
CAVATINA, we are very pleased to announce
that another three concerts are planned for
Spring, 2012. The audience for these concerts is
a mix of British and French parents and children.
Everyone is captivated by the fantastic playing
and the interactive musical games presented by
these talented CAVATINA artists.’
Françoise Clerc (Head of Classical Music)
Badke Quartet at the Institut Français
Schools Concerts
CAVATINA continues to take world-class
chamber music into schools in London and
across the country. This year we have been
visiting old regulars as well as lots of new
schools across the capital and indeed the
country. The small matter of pregnancy and a
newborn baby slowed proceedings slightly this
Autumn. Now five months old, little Finley has
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been accompanying me to some of the recent
school workshops and Family Concerts. He is
always absolutely transfixed by the
performances and generally has some
constructive criticism to give at the end! It just
goes to show, you can never start them too
young! I look forward to Fin growing up under the
auspices of CAVATINA and its statement of
intent.
Some of our groups have been working for
CAVATINA for over a decade now and have
always been selected
for a ‘special something’
in their demeanour and
performance, as well as
their technical abilities.
Each ensemble brings
its own individual style,
repertoire and games
and each never fails to
entertain. Recently we
have been seeking out
new additions to the CAVATINA family. The
Lawson Piano Trio gave their debut school
concert for us at Fitzjohn’s Primary in November
adding variation to our menu of mainly string
quartets.
The Lawson Piano Trio at Fitzjohn’s Primary
School
We are also trying out two more string quartets
and a wind ensemble. Watch this space for news

on their progress…! Next term is already packed
to the gunnels with workshops, so roll on 2012!
Rhian Hancox
Carducci String Quartet – some gratifying
feedback
All our professional groups who take their music
to children do us very proud - it was gratifying to
get such glowing feedback about them from
Churchill Music.
Churchill Community School
“My goodness, they have done it
again! Everyone involved with the Carducci day
at Churchill School yesterday are absolutely
buzzing from the top of their heads to the tips of
their toes. We cannot thank you enough for
enabling these kids to have such magnificent,
inspirational events. There were even tears from
some of the students at the Community School
following their workshop - tears of delight at
hearing the Carducci perform their short
compositions and hearing the sound they had
created!
Year 6 children from Churchill’s feeder primary
schools came to their future senior school for the
concert. As you can see from the photos, the
children were indeed enthralled. The staff just
couldn’t get over it. One member of staff
escorting a primary school class has sent the
feedback below already!! “I was lucky enough to
escort the children to the Carducci event today
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at Churchill School. The Carducci Quartet’s
introduction to the string quartet repertoire was
pitched perfectly at the rows of nine and ten year
old children who sat (and also sang and clapped)
enthralled. Before each (shortish) excerpt the
children were asked to listen out for special
sounds, and, at one point, four young assistants
identified the player of the main musical theme
(the tune) at any given moment by placing (or
removing) woolly hats. The Quartet showed their
enjoyment playing the sometimes jagged,
angular modern works, and the children
responded in kind, listening openly to these too,
without fear or favour. Clearly the Carducci have
done this sort of thing before. Can we look
forward to seeing them again next year?”
In the meantime a HUGE ‘thank you’ from
Churchill Music! for such a truly innovative and
inspiring day of chamber music making. I do not
think that it was possible to have got more out of
the day in any way. The Carducci were simply
terrific and CAVATINA even more so for making it
possible.
Jan Murray Churchill Music
A letter like this makes it all worthwhile:
Thank you CAVATINA (Ticket Scheme)
Dear CAVATINA,
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‘I am writing this email to thank you for your
generous sponsorship in introducing me to and

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then falling madly in love with classical music.
You have introduced me to a world, which I have
never witnessed before. Through your general
support, I have attended many concerts over this
year and I deeply enjoyed every single one of
them. I felt that writing this thank you email to
express my sincere gratitude is the least thing I
can do in return. Thank you very much.’ …..Eric
Liu (DPhil Student Oxford University)
University Ambassadors’ concert
The Oxford University Ambassadors’ concert
took place on Friday 11 November 2011 in the
Holywell Music Room. Drumming up audiences
can be very difficult at the best of times, no more
so than in a city like Oxford where the daily
competition often includes recitals by artists of
international acclaim, let alone a whole raft of
student-run performances. It was a particular
triumph, therefore, that the concert organised by
our Oxford Ambassadors, Naomi Miller and
Benjamin Bernard - which collided with events
elsewhere by two virtuosi musicians – almost
filled the Holywell Music Room, with about 100
young people attending free under the
CAVATINA Ticket Scheme. The premise was
simple and effective: a renowned chamber group
would share the stage with a student ensemble,
each presenting their own works in the first half,
but then collaborating on a larger-scale piece in
the second.
To this end, the supreme Wihan Quartet was
complemented by students from the University of
Oxford and the city itself in a programme of
Mozart, Dvořák, and Mendelssohn, culminating
The Octet takes a bow at the Holywell Music
room
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in the latter’s ever-youthful Octet in E-flat major,
Op. 20. And the result was glorious!
Each performance was distinguished by a vital
effervescence, the Wihan setting a benchmark,
and the Ambassadors’ ensemble meeting it at
every corner. Hearty congratulations to all
involved, particularly our two long-standing
Ambassadors, Naomi and Benjamin, who are
nearing the end of their tenures and whose hard
work paid off so spectacularly.
Naomi Miller, Tom Hancox, Benjamin Bernard
Intercollegiate String Quartet Competition at
the Greenwich International Festival
April 29th - May 1st 2011
In spite of the Royal Wedding taking place on the
first day of the second Greenwich International
String Quartet Festival, the very full programme
went ahead. Some of CAVATINA’s regular
groups took part in the Festival, viz. the Wihan,
Carducci and Brodowski Quartets. Also, the Wu
Quartet, whom some of you might remember
from their concert at Netherhall House in May
2009, gave a performance for Junior Trinity,
which was very well received. The highlight for
Friends was the CAVATINA Intercollegiate String
Quartet Competition on Sunday May 1. Student
Quartets from the eight music conservatoires in
the UK took part. The standard of playing was
very high. Each Quartet played a movement of
their choice and then had to interpret the set
piece, ‘Are we on the same page?’
commissioned by CAVATINA from Cecilia

McDowell, which tested the groups musical
interpretation to the extreme, as all dynamic and
tempo markings had been omitted on purpose!
David Kenedy, Emile Cantor and Liesbeth Kok
Cantabile Quartet (left); Daimon Quartet (right)
The adjudicators chose the Cantabile Quartet of
the Royal Scottish Academy and the Daimon
Quartet, Royal Academy of Music, as joint
winners. The Daimon also won the prize for the
best interpretation of Cecilia McDowall’s piece.
Trinity in-house competition
The adjudicators, Susan Tomes, pianist of the
Florestan Trio, author and lecturer, and Richard
Ireland, Director of ChamberStudio, chamber
musician and teacher, both praised the students
for their enthusiastic performances. However,
they encouraged all three of the participating
groups to search for much more contrast and
detail in their preparation, and to be careful of
falling into the trap of using over-fast tempi and
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louder dynamics to create an initial generic
excitement, but one which an audience quickly
tires of. Both adjudicators recommended that
attending professional concerts is such an
important and helpful part of training, and is also
crucial for students to keep aware of the
standard they should be aiming at in order to be
successful in the professional world. Both the
CAVATINA prize and the Audience prize went to
the Meridian Trio.
Meridian Trio with adjudicators
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Friends’ Concert at Netherhall House, NW3
(by courtesy of Peter Brown, the Director)
It is difficult to define a recipe for a wonderful
evening of music and sociability, but whatever
the secret, the concert given by the Daimon
Quartet from the Royal Academy of Music at
Netherhall House on October 29, 2011 certainly
had all the right ingredients. Everyone agreed it
was one of the best. The Daimon Quartet gave
sparkling performances of quartets by Haydn
and Mendelssohn, the Quartettsatz by Schubert
and Cecilia McDowell’s ‘Are we on the same
page?’ the set piece they performed at the
CAVATINA Intercollegiate Competition at the
Greenwich International String Quartet Festival
earlier in the year. Cecilia introduced her piece to
the audience and complimented the Quartet on
its imaginative interpretation. The large audience
showed its enthusiastic appreciation. The
concert was followed by a lively reception with
the Quartet getting acquainted with the audience,

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some of whom promised to attend their next
concert at Lauderdale House, Highgate.
The Daimon Quartet is a young and vibrant
string quartet based in London. It was formed in
2008 at the Royal Academy of Music. The
members, who have a similar approach to
making chamber music, are from different
European countries (Poland, Latvia, Romania,
and Portugal) thus giving the Quartet a rich
understanding of the European artistic tradition.
The name of the Quartet was inspired by the
Greek word Daimon. It describes a spiritual force
or inspiration that overcomes a person. Great
artists have felt the influence of Daimonic forces
over the years and subsequently produced great
works of art. The Quartet has performed in many
concerts and continues to captivate audiences
with the members’ individual qualities of sound
and the depth of their interpretations. The
Daimon Quartet was awarded the Wolfe
Wolfinsohn String Quartet Prize at the Royal
Academy of Music for their outstanding
performance of Haydn. The Quartet’s future
engagements include concerts in the UK and
Europe.
Daimon Quartet with Cecilia McDowall
CAVATINA to the rescue…
Rosemary Rapaport was the Founder and first
Principal of the Purcell School. The Purcell
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School started its activities under her direction as
The Central Tutorial School for Young Musicians
at Conway Hall. After a tortuous journey via
Morley College, Hampstead and then Harrow it
reached its current impressive location at
Bushey, Hertfordshire. Rosemary was an
eminent violinist and a highly respected teacher.
She spent many years teaching at the Royal
Academy of Music. In 1961 Rosemary founded
an intercollegiate string quartet competition at
the Royal Academy of Music in memory of her
pianist husband, Gerard Heller. After Rosemary
passed away in 2001, the prize was renamed
‘the Gerard Heller and Rosemary Rapaport
Memorial Quartet Prize.’ The family sponsored
this Competition. Unfortunately, funds needed to
continue this Competition are now limited and the
future of this event was becoming uncertain.
CAVATINA has decided to come to the rescue of
this Competition and will be the main sponsor of
this event. Moreover instead of being biannual it
will become annual with alternate formations:
string quartets in 2012 and piano trios in 2013
and so on. The Competition will be re-named:
The CAVATINA Intercollegiate Chamber
Music Competition in memory of Gerard
Heller and Rosemary Rapaport
The Trustees of the Elias Fawcett Trust have
kindly agreed to be the sponsors of the Audience
Prize. The first competition under this name,
open to all conservatoires in the United Kingdom
will be on Monday 30 April 2012 at the Royal
Academy of Music.
Cecilia McDowall, Composer
Cecilia McDowall has been close to the hearts of
CAVATINA for many years now and as a most
gifted composer she deserves special mention.
On October 9th 2011 she celebrated her 60th
birthday in style at St John’s, Smith Square. The
concert included many of her own compositions
including ‘Cavatina at Midnight’ This magical

piece encompasses a reference to the opening
of the Cavatina movement from Beethoven’s
Opus 130 string quartet. Cavatina at Midnight
was first performed by Catriona Scott (clarinet)
Gemma Rosefield (cello) and Michael Dussek
(piano) (see Newsletter 2009). The second
commission was a String Quartet ‘Are we on the
same page?’ as the set piece for the CAVATINA
Intercollegiate Competition at the 2nd
Greenwich International String Quartet Festival
in Spring 2011 (as mentioned above). Cecilia’s
‘The Last Dance’ for oboe, clarinet and bassoon,
was written for the Thorne Trio, a wind group
which has worked for many years for our
schools’ outreach programme. It is a fun, jazzy
piece which stretches the professionals in
rythmn and co-ordination during its two and a
half minutes.
It can be seen/heard on:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLEUl3DbFGI
having been filmed by Pamela Majaro at a
Family Concert at the French Institute. We
congratulate Cecilia on her great list of wonderful
compositions and for the accolades she has
deservedly received for them. One reviewer in
the Gramophone wrote:
‘She constantly tweaks the
ear with her range of spicy
rhythms and colours then
suddenly produces a
highly atmospheric and
grippingly expressive
interlude which is just as
compelling.’ Pamela
Majaro says: ‘Cecilia is
wonderful to work with;
always a delight to talk to,
always on the dot with her
commissions and answers emails by return.’
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Welcome to Richard Ireland
CAVATINA welcomes Richard Ireland as a
valued addition to our ever-growing part-time
team. London-born into a family of string quartet
players (his father Patrick was in the Allegri
Quartet, and his brother Robin in the Lindsays),
Richard studied with Eli Goren and then with
Shmuel Ashkenasi in the USA, where he
subsequently became Ashkenasi’s Teaching
Assistant. Having taught at the RNCM in
Manchester for many years and at the RCM in
London, he is much in demand as teacher,
coach, adjudicator and as jury member in
competitions both in the UK and abroad. As a
member of the Chilingirian Quartet, Richard
performed at many of the important festivals and
concert halls around the world. With this wealth
of experience, he created and now runs
ChamberStudio, a unique scheme where young
professional groups can receive subsidised
masterclasses given by renowned chamber
musicians. These classes, which are open to
the public, are held at Kings Place.
http://chamberstudio.org/ .The Lawson Trio,
which has been attending masterclasses at
ChamberStudio over the last year, have now
joined the carefully selected team of CAVATINA
ensembles giving school concerts.

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Alan Rabin (1933-2011)
It was with great
sadness that we
received the
news that Alan
Rabin, our dear
friend and a
very active and
loyal trustee of
CAVATINA, had
passed away
after a long and
incapacitating
illness. We watched his condition, which affected
his mobility and speech, deteriorating
progressively. Yet he retained his dignity,
modesty and sense of humour until the end.
Alan and I had a special bond because for many
years we shared a love for violin making. We
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spent a whole day, once a week, in the
Cambridge workshop of Juliet Barker and Kit
Beament. We met in Cambridge for an early
coffee, which gave us an opportunity to sort out
the world’s problems, before ‘clocking in’ for a
busy day of gouging, chiseling, scraping and
occasionally bemoaning unexpected mishaps.
Alan was a wonderful trustee of CAVATINA. For
a number of years he used to prepare the Trust’s
annual accounts with remarkable speed and
accuracy. After many years as a senior
accountant at John Lewis, CAVATINA’s financial
matters were for him literally kindergarten stuff.
Nonetheless he attended to them with the kind of
diligence that one would have expected to see
given to blue-chip public companies. Our
deepest condolences to Arlene and the rest of
the family. We miss Alan very much.
Simon Majaro
PLEASE KEEP UP TO DATE WITH CAVATINA PROJECTS
www.cavatinaconcerts.net
CAVATINA would like to thank the following for their generous and constant support:
Andor Charitable Trust, The Coln Trust, John Lewis Partnership, The Monument Trust,
The Paul Morgan Charitable Trust, The Laurie & Gillian Marsh Charitable Trust,
Peter Storrs Trust, The Harold Hyam Wingate Foundation, Anonymous Benefactors
CAVATINA Chamber Music Trust
52D Maresfield Gardens, London NW3 5RX; Tel: 020 7435 8479; FAX: 020 7431 2737
e-mail: majaro@cavatina.net
www.cavatina.net
Newsletter Editor: Dr. Carol Lovelidge
Patrons: Derek Aviss, Sir Vernon Ellis, Edmond Fivet CBE, John Gilhooly, Gavin Henderson
CBE, Lady Irvine of Lairg, Seppo Kimanen, Lord Moser, Steven Isserlis CBE, Menahem
Pressler, Gabor Takacs-Nagy, Sir John Tusa, Dr. Peter Woodford, Benjamin Zander.
Trustees: Huw Davies, Marion Friend, Pauline McAlpine,
Pamela Majaro MBE, Simon Majaro MBE