New collaboration to explore diversity in the British string quartet

Diversity and the British String Quartet is a collaboration between the Villiers Quartet and the University of Oxford, supported by TORCH as part of the Humanities Cultural Programme.

In Oxford, it is led by the Faculty of Music’s Dr Joanna Bullivant and Professor Samantha Dieckmann.

The project will use the string quartet to explore debates around inclusivity and diversity, as well as controversies over representation and British musical identity at the Last Night of the Proms following the 2020 Black Lives Matter protests.

The participants said: 'While the British string quartet may level accusations of elitism and exclusivity, throughout its history it has attracted an extraordinary diversity of composers and performers and continues to do so.

'Consequently, the Diversity and the British String Quartet has sought to explore these issues through a combination of research, new music commissioning, and educational work.

'In education, we have worked with young people aged 14 -18 around the country to compose their own string quartets, working with professional performers, academics, and composers.

'In research, we have simultaneously evaluated the impact of the project on young people in terms of changing their perceptions of classical music and their own relationship thereto.

'In commissioning, the Villiers Quartet have commissioned five contemporary British composers to write From Home quartets, exploring the experience of writing music in Britain in the current historical moment.'
 
A live-streamed symposium will be the culmination and public presentation of these activities through a series of talks, workshops, and performances.
 
Full details and links to the concerts can be found here: https://www.torch.ox.ac.uk/diversity-and-the-british-string-quartet-0#/