String Quartet in Residence
The Harriet's Trust began sponsoring a String Quartet in Residence programme in 2018. We are extremely grateful to the Trust for enabling a young string quartet to join the festival for a week of coaching with the Benyounes Quartet, Jeremy Young and other festival Artists for four consecutive years.
During the week there are a number of masterclasses that are open to the Supporters of the Festival to watch in order to see the creative and developmental process from the beginning of the week to the culminating concert at St Andrew's Church on Sunday afternoon.
The resident quartet also perform alongside the musicians in the Opening Concert.
Previous recipients
2023 recipients
The Treske Quartet is an emerging ensemble based in Manchester. Founded in 2017, they present fresh, imaginative interpretations of both well-known and hidden gems of the string quartet repertoire, as well as championing contemporary compositions. The quartet are currently pursuing the RNCM Chamber Studio course as well as Chamber Studio at King’s Place. They were the ‘Young Artists 2022’ at the Kensington Olympia Festival of Music and the Arts. Over the last few years the quartet has given recitals in the UK and abroad, notably at Ryedale Festival, Wye Valley Summer Festival, Llandeilo International Music Festival, Royal Overseas League and New Generation Festival in Florence.
The quartet consists of Oliver Baily, Mollie Wrafter, Abigail Hammett and Robert Wheatley who all studied at the Royal Northern College of Music. They have received coaching from some of the world’s leading chamber musicians including the Chilingirian, Brodsky, Parker, Eybler, JACK, Elias, Dante and Navarro Quartets.
Passionate about contemporary and new music, the quartet enjoys collaborating with composers; performing and recording their work. Over the past two years, Treske has been working with Cumbria-based composer Edward Cowie and will be recording his 9th String Quartet and Double String Quartet in collaboration with the Kreutzer Quartet for the Divine Arts record label. They have also collaborated with composer Claire Victoria Roberts on numerous chamber and vocal works. The quartet is in the midst of recording two CDs with classical guitarists Roland Chadwick and Daniela Rossi. The Treske Quartet has recently participated in the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity for the Evolution: Quartet programme, an innovative artist development programme for quartets and composers who are in the early stages of their careers. Here they established a positive working relationship with Puerto Rican composer, Gabriel Bouche Caro, and performed the premiere of his piece ‘La Candela’ in collaboration with the JACK Quartet.
Treske are named after the medieval town of Thirsk in North Yorkshire, where Oliver grew up.
