Success for the Marmen Quartet

Thursday 30 October 2014

The RCM’s Marmen Quartet has been announced on BBC Radio 3 as the first young string quartet to be selected for Music in the Round’s professional development scheme, Bridge.

The Marmen Quartet was founded in 2012 at the Royal College of Music and comprises Johannes Marmen (lead violin), Ricky Gore (violin), Joshua Hayward (viola) and Anton Crayton (cello). With a vast amount of experience between them, having performed at Carnegie Hall, the Royal Festival Hall and Wigmore Hall, they fought off stiff competition to be unanimously awarded the honour at the final in Sheffield on 18 October. 

Cellist Anton Crayton said: 'We are excited and feel very privileged to be the first quartet to benefit from the Bridge scheme run by Music in the Round. The scheme offers everything that an aspiring professional string quartet could desire and we're confident that - after the three years - we will emerge with the skills and the necessary tools that will allow us to become self sufficient and ultimately to secure a place in the professional world.' 

Music in the Round’s Bridge scheme offers the chance for a string quartet to gain performance experience, build repertoire, learn about education workshop planning and delivery, speaking in public, press and media relations, and to benefit from advice and guidance in developing business and self-management skills. The opportunity is envisaged as a partnership between Music in the Round and the quartet, requiring hard work, commitment and initiative.

As the first ensemble on the three-year Bridge scheme, the Marmen Quartet will benefit from a £10,000 per annum bursary, performance opportunities, a two-week residency at Aldeburgh, regular mentoring sessions and guidance from Music in the Round’s founder Peter Cropper and other musicians, including Music in the Round’s resident Ensemble 360.