The Talland Quartet formed in the Summer of 2022 and after only three months of playing together, they won the RNCM's Hirsch Prize for the playing of Beethoven. Dylan, Orla and Nathan all studied their undergraduate degrees together at the RNCM and they met Ben when he joined for his masters. They are all enthusiastic musicians and are passionate about sharing their love of chamber music with others. In April they won the RNCM's Brodsky Prize with their friend and colleague, clarinettist Josh Pyman. They have been recently been accepted onto the Hans Keller Forum for 23/24, as one of four ensembles who will recieve intensive coaching from Richard Ireland, John Myerscough and Alasdair Beetson. They also enjoy cross-arts projects and in March played in the Original Voices Festival at the RNCM as part of a "painting what your hear" workshop. Upcoming engagements include the Christopher Rowland Prize for Chamber Group of the Year, performing in the pre-show set at Depot Mayfield for the RNCM//Anna Meredith collaboration, the Delft Chamber Music Festival Atelier in July and the Enys Chamber Music Festival in August.

The Franco-Mendès Quartet was formed in the Autumn of 2019 by four students at the Royal Northern College of Music and are currently enjoying their third year as ensemble-in-residence at Enys House. They have been fortunate to study with many of the UK’s top chamber musicians and ensembles, including Petr Prause, Jeremy Young, The Chilingirian Quartet, Elias Quartet, Gould Trio, Trio Gaspard, Trio Karenine, Henk Guittart, and Navarra Quartet. Within the RNCM they were finalists in the college’s Nossek Prize, Hirsch Prize, Weil Prize and Brodsky Prize, and have featured regularly in concerts in and around Manchester and the North-West. The quartet was named after the renowned Dutch cellist and composer, Jacques Franco-Mendès, who’s virtuosic compositions for both string quartets and duos they greatly admire. The Franco-Mendès Quartet aims to perform lesser-known works, including F. Hensel, Suk, Hindemith, and Latham. The Franco-Mendès Quartet frequently collaborates to perform larger chamber works and have been fortunate to have played with Nathan Jackson-Turner, Julius Jonuŝas, and Magnus Johnston. The inaugural Enys Chamber Music Festival sees the Franco-Mendès Quartet is delighted to be collaborating with the Talland Quartet to perform Mendelssohn Octet.

Since their formation at the Royal Northern College of Music in 2021, the Aestus Quartet have established themselves as a dynamic ensemble that is recognized for their warmth and sensitive musical approach. The name “Aestus” is Latin for sea tide and is inspired by the seaside imagery evoked in the first piece they performed together: Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2. They are recipients of the Weil Prize for Chamber Music, participants of Chamber Studio UK’s inaugural Hans Keller Forum in 2022-2023, and finalists in the Christopher Rowland Ensemble of the Year Prize among others. They are grateful to have been mentored by international artists including Donald Grant (Elias Quartet), Petr Prause (Talich Quartet), Jeremy Young, Richard Ireland, John Meyerscough (Doric Quartet), and Alasdair Beatson. ​ This year the quartet both opened and closed the Lake District Summer Music Festival’s Emerging Artist Series. In May 2023 they worked with the festival's artistic director Stephen Threlfall to deliver a series of workshops in schools and community centres in Kendal and Barrow-in-Furness. The Aestus Quartet are passionate about making classical music inclusive and accessible and hold these principles at the core of their purpose as a group. They performed an evening recital for Lymm Chamber Music Festival and led a community workshop for students in Lymm on Mozart’s “Eine Kleine Nachtmusik” that utilised the principles of Dalcroze Eurythmics. They have also participated in outreach work for the music program at the Sandbach School. This season, the quartet additionally made appearances at Southwell Music Festival, Wrexham Classical Music Festival, the Warrington WACIDOM charity series, and the Royal Northern College of Music Spotlight series. As part of the Hans Keller Forum, the quartet gave a final concert at the West Road Concert Hall, Cambridge and performed in a lecture recital: “Behind the Music: Pre-compositional thought in Benjamin Britten’s Second String Quartet” presented by Nicky Swett.

Bryn was born and bred in West Penwith and started playing the double bass when he was sixteen. He has just completed his masters degree at the Royal Northern College of Music, after studying for his undergraduate degree at Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Bryn will take up the position of Junior fellow in double bass at the RNCM next academic year, while continuing his freelance career with the BBC Philharmonic and Hallé orchestras. He hopes to study abroad from September 2024.

Photo: Inis Oírr Assano Born and raised in Hong Kong, Jocelyn Lau is a violinist recently graduated from the Royal Northern College of Music under the tutelage of Yossi Zivoni. Before obtaining her Bachelor of Music in RNCM, she graduated with a degree in Social Sciences in the University of Hong Kong, majoring in Sociology and minoring in Music. Jocelyn is an active participant in masterclasses within and outside the RNCM. She recently participated in the Allegro Vivo Festival and had masterclasses with Tanja Becker-Bender and Sophia Jaffé in Horn, Austria. Earlier this year, she was selected to play in the masterclass by Ning Feng in RNCM. She also enjoyed playing to Sebastian Mueller and Nathaniel Vallois at the Blisland Summer Course in Bodmin, Cornwall last summer. Besides solo playing, Jocelyn is the first violinist oof the Abelo Quartet, which is a versatile and well-recognised string quartet at the RNCM. The quartet’s recent performances include playing Beethoven Quartet No.15 at the Manchester Art Gallery during the Connect Chamber Festival and performing Bartók String Quartet No.1 in the Lunchtime series at Cross Street Unitarian Chapel as well as the Spotlight Concert series at RNCM.

Sebastian’s musical life began learning the violin and piano aged 7, when living in France. Returning to London in 2011, he continued his study at the Centre for Young Musicians, first with Karen James and then with Khac-Uyen Nguyen until finishing school in 2017. During his gap year he began to take up the viola and studied with Matthew Jones at Guildhall. He then went to study at the University of Manchester he was involved in many projects both at the University and RNCM, where he studied with Susie Mészáros. These include leading the Manchester University Symphony Orchestra, the Carme Ensemble, Camerata Players, Enys Chamber Orchestra, the REOP, and numerous exciting premieres of chamber music with the Basché Ensemble. Recent solo engagements include Hindemith’s Trauermusik with the London Youth Chamber Orchestra, the Stamitz Concerto with the European Youth Music Orchestra, and Mozart Sinfonia Concertante with his esteemed duo partner Dylan Latham, and Manchester’s Camerata Players conducted by the illustrious Jason ‘JT’ Taing. He plays a fine Milanese viola by Paolo Antonio Testore.

From a farm in rural Northern Ireland, Sam grew up with a love for classical and Irish traditional music before moving to Manchester, where he studied violin with Cecily Ward at the Royal Northern College of Music. Sam was appointed leader of the Ulster Youth Orchestra and has completed Professional Experience Schemes with Ulster Orchestra and Manchester Camerata. Sam performed Bruch’s 1st violin concerto with the Manchester Beethoven Orchestra, and has performed recitals at festivals across the UK and Ireland including Clandeboye, Charles Wood, Blackwater Valley Opera and Belfast International Music Festival. Sam has received masterclasses from James Enhes, Yair Kless, Elina Vähälä, Yossi Zivoni and Bettina Mussumeli, and enjoys composing and performing new music with harpist Rosie Murphy. Sam enjoys playing to a range of audiences - from performing one of his compositions at Wigmore Hall, to fiddle playing on the back of a trailer through a St Patrick’s day Parade. Some of Sam’s chamber compositions have been broadcasted on BBC Radio Ulster’s ‘Classical Connections’ and ‘the Culture Cafe’ programmes. One of his larger orchestral works (premiered by soprano Zoë Valleé and the Carme Ensemble) was broadcasted on Classic FM, winning Classic FM’s Big Platinum Performance prize. Sam is kindly supported by the Irish Heritage Homman Potterton Bursary and Help Musicians Postgraduate Awards.