Inspiring Young Musicians with the Consone Quartet
Inspiring Young Musicians with the Consone Quartet
As part of our ongoing partnership with Music in the Round, Sheffield Music Hub has been working closely with the internationally acclaimed Consone Quartet to bring their world-class musical expertise to young people across schools in Sheffield.
The Consone Quartet—formed at the Royal College of Music in 2015—is the first period instrument string quartet to be selected as BBC New Generation Artists. They’ve earned recognition through awards from the York Early Music Competition, Royal Over-Seas League, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust fellowship. Known for their expressive interpretations of classical and romantic repertoire, they’ve performed at major venues and festivals across Europe, with recent highlights including a North American tour and a BBC Radio 3 premiere of Gavin Bryars’ The Bridges of Königsberg.
The Consone Schools Project
We’re proud to be hosting The Consone Schools Project, which brings together pupils from a number of Sheffield schools to collaborate, perform, and learn from these exceptional musicians. With support from Sheffield Music Hub strings specialist Celia Hurwitz-Keefe, the Quartet has delivered inspiring workshops and performances designed to show young players what’s possible through music.
The project has had a different focus in each term of the 2024-25 school year:
- Autumn Term: the Consone Quartet visited participating Sheffield Schools, performing a set of free interactive concerts for each school community.
- Spring Term: the Consone Quartet joined strings staff from Sheffield Music Hub to explore different approaches to Classroom Instrumental Teaching and youth ensemble rehearsal. They also gave professional coaching to three student quartets at Tapton School.
- Summer Term: the Consone Quartet led a series of school-based workshops on a bespoke arrangement of Haydn’s ‘Surprise’ Symphony. The arrangement has been expertly differentiated by arranger, Leeds Symphony Orchestra Conductor, and Sheffield Music Hub Music Leader John Lyon to allow all the children involved to access the music at a comfortable level of challenge.
These individual school workshops will culminate in a final, joined-up, full-day workshop at Tapton School on 30 June, with Lydgate Junior School, Netherthorpe Primary School and Springfield Primary School participating alongside Tapton students and the Consone Quartet.
All parts are fully differentiated; this means that they are arranged to meet the abilities of all students. As a result, the primary aged and secondary aged musicians are able to fully participate alongside one another and the Consone Quartet!
Year-Round Engagement
Throughout the year, The Consone Quartet have also made regular visits to Sheffield Music Hub’s string-based music groups. These visits have included giving workshop/demonstrations, running sectionals, and participating in rehearsals in preparation for a massed item at Sheffield Music Hub’s Octagon Spectacular at The Octagon Centre on 30 June.
When asked about the project Celia shared “We are so privileged to have the Consone Quartet working with us on this project. One of the most powerful things that music can do is bring people together. At Sheffield Music Hub we want music – all music, including chamber and orchestral music – to be a place where everyone feels they can belong. This project is about showing young string players, from different school communities and at different stages of their learning, clear pathways for musical progression. An emphasis on sharing is at the heart of the project, which encompasses opportunities for listening to exceptional performances, participating in interactive musical experiences, learning from professional performing musicians, and being inspired by peers at the next stage of the journey. We are not aiming for a single performance outcome, but rather for a longer lasting feeling of connection.”
Ian Naylor, Head of Music Education Sheffield shared “Working closely with our partners at Music in the Round and the professional musicians in the Consone String Quartet helps us to super charge musical experiences and progression for our young musicians. Exposure to world class performers has a profound impact on our students. In turn, our team of dedicated music education professionals are able to share their experiences around quality teaching and learning with the quartet helping them to improve how the inspire and interact with young musicians.”
Looking Ahead
Thanks to the success of this collaboration, the Consone Quartet will continue their education work with Sheffield Music Hub and Music in the Round for another three years. We’re excited to see how this partnership will continue to inspire and support the next generation of musicians in Sheffield.
Thank you to the Consone Quartet for all their work, we highly value this partnership!