Biographies » Robin Ashwell

Robin Ashwell is well known as the viola player of the Sacconi Quartet, one of the UK’s finest young string quartets.  He graduated from the Royal College of Music in 2003 with two performance diplomas and a First Class honours degree in both modern viola and baroque viola.  Whilst at the College, Robin was awarded all the major viola prizes, including the Cecil Aronowitz Prize, and the Tagore Gold Medal, the College’s highest prize in recognition of achievements and contribution to College life.

With the Sacconi Quartet, Robin performs regularly at the Wigmore Hall and on BBC Radio 3.  The Quartet won 2nd Prize at the 2006 London International String Quartet Competition and 1st Prize in the Trondheim International String Quartet Competition, and in May 2006 the Quartet was selected for representation by Young Concert Artists Trust (YCAT).  Their recording of Gerald Finzi’s song cycle By Footpath and Stile with baritone Roderick Williams on Naxos received four- and five-star reviews in all the national broadsheets and BBC Music Magazine.

Robin was Principal Viola of the European Union Baroque Orchestra, and has performed with the London Symphony Orchestra, BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment.  He was formerly a student of Andreij Vijtovitch, Ian Jewel, Jan Schlapp, Catherine Mackintosh, Annette Isserlis, and Marguerite Wilkinson.

Last year, in addition to a full year’s programme with the Sacconi Quartet, Robin performed Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with quartet colleague Ben Hancox, and Mozart’s C major Flute Quartet with Emily Beynon, Malin Broman and Jesper Svedberg.