Colin Twigg

Colin came back the Quartet as Guest Leader in 2007 - he was one of the founder members of the Quartet in 1989.

Colin entered the Menuhin School at the age of 10 studying violin with Margaret Norris. He captured public attention as a string finalist in the first BBC Young Musician of the Year. On gaining the RSA special jubilee award, he travelled to Yale, where he studied with Oscar Shumsky and chamber music with Szymon Goldberg. He subsequently received awards from Juilliard where he worked with Tossy Spivakovsky, finally receiving Masters degrees from both Juilliard and Yale.

Around this time, Colin’s performance activities included broadcast recitals for WQXR Radio New York, appearances at the Menuhin Festival in Gstaad, and soloist with Manchester Camerata and Academy of London orchestras.

On joining the CBSO in 1991, Colin became involved in a wide range of chamber music and compositional activities. As violinist in the Dadelsen Piano Trio and violist in the Montpellier String Trio, he has become well known throughout the Midlands. Colin performed regularly with Birmingham Contemporary Music Ensemble and was invited as guest violinist in Stravinsky’s Soldier’s Tale for the Koenig ensemble in Barcelona and Granada.

As a composer, his string trio (1996) was very well received in both the Cheltenham and Worcester festivals. His string quartet, (1997) piano quartet (2000) and piano trio (2004) have been performed to critical acclaim as part of the CBSO’s Centre Stage chamber concert series. His Echoes of Eternity (2003) for string orchestra and solo cello was very successfully premiered in Birmingham and at Blackthorpe Barn, Suffolk and is to be performed at the Deal Festival this summer.

In addition to his diverse musical activities, Colin is also a keen amateur horologist.