Cambridge String Quartet
Rachel Stroud is a violinist and musicologist who specialises in historical performance. She holds a doctorate from King’s College, University of Cambridge, and studied baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Rachel has performed throughout the world with leading period orchestras and appears more locally as a Director with ensembles such as Norwich Baroque and her own group, The Geldart Ensemble. As a writer and presenter, Rachel works regularly with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and her most recent project on female composers has seen commissions from the Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the 18th Century in the Netherlands.
Stephane Crayton is a violinist, composer, and scholar based in Cambridge, UK. Performing on both modern and baroque violins, Stephane brings a rich blend of historical insight to his music-making. An Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music’s junior department, Stephane balances his academic and performance careers. His research focuses on musical meaning, particularly in the French long eighteenth century, and informs his approach to both composition and performance. His PhD (University of Cambridge, King's College) was Out of Order, an examination of the concept of disorder in music.
Violist Sam Kennedy's eclectic career spans orchestral, chamber, and theatrical performance. A graduate of Cambridge University and the Royal Northern College of Music, Sam studied violin with Howard Davis and Arisa Fujita, and viola with Asdis Valdimarsdottir. Early in his career, he joined the European Union Baroque Orchestra, which fostered his passion for historical performance. Since then, Sam has performed with leading ensembles such as The Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium, and Charivari Agréable. His chamber music collaborations include performances with the Borromini Quartet at the York and Brighton Early Music Festivals and with the Eliot Quartet at the Van Wassenaer Competition in the Netherlands.
Kate Bennett Wadsworth studied baroque cello with Jaap ter Linden in the Royal Dutch Conservatory in the Hague, and 19th-century performance practice with Clive Brown at the University of Leeds. She has appeared at festivals throughout Europe and North America with ensembles such as the Gabrieli Consort, B’Rock, Arion, Tafelmusik, Apollo’s Fire, Masques, and the Academy of Ancient Music, and given lecture-recitals and masterclasses at the Juilliard School, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Boston Conservatory, the Longy School of Music, and the Utrecht Early Music Festival. Kate lives in Norwich, UK, where she directs the dynamic ensemble Norwich Baroque, co-runs the Deux-Elles label, and supervises doctoral students at the Guildhall School in London.
Biography
The Cambridge String Quartet brings together musicians, artists and researchers to create imaginative concert experiences inspired by historical performance practices. From pairing Beethoven’s quartets with curated wines to weaving musical fairytales with the help of our audience, we uncover hidden stories in the archives and breathe new life into cherished classics, always putting our listeners at the heart of our performances.
Rachel Stroud is a violinist and musicologist who specialises in historical performance. She holds a doctorate from King’s College, University of Cambridge, and studied baroque violin at the Royal Conservatory in The Hague. Rachel has performed throughout the world with leading period orchestras and appears more locally as a Director with ensembles such as Norwich Baroque and her own group, The Geldart Ensemble. As a writer and presenter, Rachel works regularly with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, and her most recent project on female composers has seen commissions from the Academy of Ancient Music and the Orchestra of the 18th Century in the Netherlands.
Stephane Crayton is a violinist, composer, and scholar based in Cambridge, UK. Performing on both modern and baroque violins, Stephane brings a rich blend of historical insight to his music-making. An Affiliated Lecturer at the University of Cambridge and a teacher at the Royal Academy of Music’s junior department, Stephane balances his academic and performance careers. His research focuses on musical meaning, particularly in the French long eighteenth century, and informs his approach to both composition and performance. His PhD (University of Cambridge, King's College) was Out of Order, an examination of the concept of disorder in music.
Violist Sam Kennedy's eclectic career spans orchestral, chamber, and theatrical performance. A graduate of Cambridge University and the Royal Northern College of Music, Sam studied violin with Howard Davis and Arisa Fujita, and viola with Asdis Valdimarsdottir. Early in his career, he joined the European Union Baroque Orchestra, which fostered his passion for historical performance. Since then, Sam has performed with leading ensembles such as The Academy of Ancient Music, Florilegium, and Charivari Agréable. His chamber music collaborations include performances with the Borromini Quartet at the York and Brighton Early Music Festivals and with the Eliot Quartet at the Van Wassenaer Competition in the Netherlands.
Kate Bennett Wadsworth studied baroque cello with Jaap ter Linden in the Royal Dutch Conservatory in the Hague, and 19th-century performance practice with Clive Brown at the University of Leeds. She has appeared at festivals throughout Europe and North America with ensembles such as the Gabrieli Consort, B’Rock, Arion, Tafelmusik, Apollo’s Fire, Masques, and the Academy of Ancient Music, and given lecture-recitals and masterclasses at the Juilliard School, the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, the Boston Conservatory, the Longy School of Music, and the Utrecht Early Music Festival. Kate lives in Norwich, UK, where she directs the dynamic ensemble Norwich Baroque, co-runs the Deux-Elles label, and supervises doctoral students at the Guildhall School in London.
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