Biography

Performing regularly as a soloist throughout the UK, violist Rosalind Ventris has played in venues such as the Royal Festival Hall, the Purcell Room, the Wigmore Hall, and the Barbican. She is currently participating in the Countess of Munster Trust’s Recital Scheme, and has recently been selected to participate in the International Holland Music Sessions New Masters on Tour Series (2012/2013). She made her concerto debut at St.John’s Smith Square in 2007 playing Hindemith’s Viola Concerto “Der Schwanendreher”, and has since frequently performed as a concerto soloist with orchestra: including Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante with Tasmin Little and the EUCO, Bartok’s Viola Concerto, Bruch’s Double Concerto with Tom Gould, and the viola concerti by York Bowen, Walton, Bartok, and Telemann. This year Rosalind has greatly enjoyed giving the world premieres of two new compositions by the eminent composer Edwin Roxburgh: the Monologue for solo viola (February 2011, Royal Festival Hall, London), and the Sonata for Viola and Piano (with Sophia Rahman, piano, November 2011, Purcell Room, London).  Both Monologue and the Viola Sonata were written for her and commissioned by David Takeno. She will be performing at the  Bridgewater Hall, Manchester, for the Manchester Mid-day Concert Series in January 2012. For more details about Rosalind’s forthcoming concerts please click here.

Playing chamber music has long been a passion of Rosalind’s. She has performed with ensembles such as the Dante, and Endellion String Quartets, and attended the Open Chamber Music Sessions at Prussia Cove in September 2011. She has been invited to perform at the Prussia Cove 40^th Anniversary Celebrations/ Sandor Vegh Centenery at the Salzburg Festival (August 2012.)  Rosalind has recently been awarded a grant from the Hattori Foundation, and won the Max and Peggy Morgan Award at the Guildhall School of Music & Drama for 2010-2011. She has also received prizes such as the Gwynne Edwards memorial prize for the most promising British entrant, and the prize of an engagement with the European Union Chamber Orchestra at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in 2006 (Youngest competitor, aged 17), 1st prize- Cambridge University Musical Society Concerto Competition (2008), and Winner of the Nigel W Brown Music Prize, Cambridge University (2008; this prize is for “the student deemed by a panel of judges to be the finest instrumentalist of the year” at the university.

Born in London in 1988, Rosalind began her musical studies at the Junior Department of the Guildhall School of Music & Drama. She was awarded a scholarship to attend the Purcell School, learning with Ian Jewel, and then went up to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge University, to read Music. Whilst at Cambridge she studied with the internationally renowned teacher David Takeno, with whom she continued her lessons as a postgraduate, returning to the Guildhall School on a full scholarship. Rosalind is now a Fellow at the Guildhall.  She has participated in masterclasses given by Tabea Zimmerman, Barbara Westphal, Hartmut Rohde and Thomas Riebl. She is very grateful to the following trusts for supporting her studies this year: the Martin Musical Scholarship Fund, the Hattori Foundation, the Tom Acton Memorial Trust, and the Countess of Munster Trust.