’When you want to do this for your whole career, hearing from someone who has done it for 40 years is very special,’ says the violist
I’m the violist with the Magenta Quartet, and we’ve been doing the ProQuartet masterclasses for three years. There are not many courses for chamber music in France, so it’s very special. Now we are in residency with them, so we do at least one or two sessions each year.
It’s a week-long masterclass, and it’s very well balanced because we have three or four lessons with the teacher during the week, and a concert at the end where everyone plays. It’s mainly for young professionals, and I love the chance to connect with other chamber ensembles, because otherwise it can often feel like we’re doing this alone. It’s mostly French and other European groups that attend ProQuartet, because if you have to spend a week in Paris, it can get expensive quickly!
One of my favourite parts is the opportunity to ask the teachers questions and random things that you wouldn’t ask during lessons. Each time can be different, but there is also usually a moment where everyone meets, and we just listen to the teacher as they discuss the day-to-day life of being in a string quartet. These things may not seem important, but when you want to do this for your whole career, hearing from someone who has done it for 40 years is very special.
My advice is to select your repertoire wisely: usually two pieces are great, because the teachers can then choose. Looking back, we’ve gained a lot from these masterclasses, and still use a lot of the tips given to us today.
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