THE NATIONAL STRING QUARTET FOUNDATION
BACKGROUND
The National String Quartet Foundation is a legacy of the work of the Vanbrugh Quartet. Resident Quartet to RTÉ from 1986 to 2013 and Artists in Residence at University College, Cork from 1990 until the retirement of violinist Gregory Ellis in 2017, the Vanbrugh Quartet gave nearly two thousand concerts throughout Ireland as well as enjoying a successful international career.
The Foundation was set up in 2016 to bring live chamber music to audiences throughout Ireland and to support Irish musicians and composers. Its projects have been supported by the Arts Council since 2018.
The Foundation’s Artistic and Executive Director is Christopher Marwood, cellist of the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet for 30 years. He was co-founder of the West Cork Chamber Music Festival and remains Director of the Festival’s string quartet masterclass programme.
Since the pandemic the Foundation has presented around 80 concerts each year at 40 venues nationwide, each season featuring at least 12 string quartets and supporting the work of 50 musicians.
All groups that play for the Foundation include at least one Irish or Irish based musician. This creates opportunities not only for collaborations among home-based musicians but also for groups operating internationally which include Irish musicians in their lineups.
All touring quartets include work by Irish composers in their programmes. The Foundation commissions new works each year and also encourages its touring quartets to programme further performances of recently commissioned or older Irish works.
As part of its partnership with RTÉ Lyric FM, all the Foundation’s tours are broadcast and the station offers significant editorial promotion of the Foundation’s concerts
The Foundation’s Irish Quartet Archive is an audio and video archive of works by Irish composers as performed on NSQF tours. It is designed to encourage and enable further performances of Irish compositions both at home and abroad.
The Foundation gratefully acknowledges funding from the Arts Council and RTE Lyric FM as well as the ongoing support of its founding partner UCC and of Cork City and County Councils.
REGULATORY
The National String Quartet Foundation CLG is a registered charity No.20200357 and is committed to complying fully with the Charities Regulator’s Charities Governance Code
The Foundation’s most recent financial statements are publicly available HERE
WHO WE ARE
EXECUTIVE & ARTISTIC DIRECTOR
Christopher Marwood
MEMBERS OF THE COMPANY
Virginia Teehan
John Horgan
Carmel Best
Ian Wilson
Simon Taylor
Pauline MacSweeney
Deborah Kelleher
John Horgan
David Stang
BOARD OF DIRECTORS / CHARITY TRUSTEES
Carmel Best
Fergus Collins
Tom Jansson
Ciara Moloney
Áine Ní Shé
COMPANY SECRETARY
Tom Jansson
AUDITORS
FDC Cork
LEGAL ADVISOR
Eoin Tobin
MISSION STATEMENT
The objectives of the National String Quartet Foundation are:
To serve the public through live performances of string quartet and other chamber music.
To support Irish string players working in the field of string quartet and related chamber music performance
To promote knowledge, understanding and appreciation of string quartet and related chamber music repertoire.
To support substantial and innovative concert series at Ireland’s major concert venues
To provide access to affordable, high quality concerts to communities throughout Ireland
To introduce young people to the diversity of classical music
To support Irish composers through commissions, workshops, performances and recordings
To encourage young Irish musicians through teaching and mentoring
To support musical and cultural festivals in Ireland
To support musical and cultural ambassadors for Ireland overseas