Pro Corda: Yumi aged 17

Thanks to Hidersine and JDCMF I was able to attend the Pro Corda course where I played in 3 chamber groups and a string ensemble - Mozart Kegelstatt trio, Beethoven opus 131 5th mv (at my own request), Mendelssohn quintet and Shostakovich 8. I was amazed at the high standard of all of my groups. It was a joy to be surrounded by people my age who enjoy chamber music as much as I do and, as a result, I was able to “bash” through new music late into the night with them. This was not only very enjoyable, but also very educational for me, as I got to listen and play through a lot of new repertoire.

Through these life-long friendships I made on the course, I have also made future plans to play music together outside the course and have even started making plans to organise my own chamber music concert with them.

I got to work with some great coaches, who taught me new ways of rehearsing music, such as painfully slow intonation practice, which although tedious at times, greatly improved my group’s performance, as well as my practice methods for the future. I have learnt that if I continue to practise slowly and tentatively, my violin playing will improve drastically.

Attending this course, has also opened many opportunities for me in the future. For example, I have been invited to play Shostakovich 8th quartet in an upcoming concert in London. Even more excitingly, I have been chosen to go on a fully-funded chamber music tour to Florence with one of my groups next year!

Thank you very much to Hidersine and JDCMF for the bursary which enabled me to go on this course.

Yumi (17)