Lucy Russell

BA, MA

Lucy Russell is held in high international regard for her versatility as a violinist. Her work on both modern and period instruments as leader of the Fitzwilliam Quartet has taken her across the world and has encompassed a breadth of repertoire stretching from Purcell to the present day. She is deeply committed to performing ALL music, whatever violin she is using, with an enlivened, communicative and informed approach, fuelled by curiosity and knowledge. As CPE Bach said himself in his treatise on the true art of playing (Keyboard) instruments from 1753:

“Since a musician cannot move others unless he too is moved, he must of necessity by able to transport himself into all of the affections that he wants to arouse in his listeners; he makes the listeners understand his sentiments and thus moves them to share the same….”

Lucy has premiered works for baroque violin by several composers including John Woolrich (Scherzi) for the Buxton Festival. Her CD of Bach's Obbligato Violin Sonatas with John Butt (Linn) received overwhelmingly positive critiques and was nominated as BBC Disc of the Week.

“For sheer freshness, insight and life-enhancing joy, this CD goes to the top of the class.”

 Her CD of Beethoven Sonatas with Sezi Seskir was also highly praised.

“The performances are absolutely top-drawer, simply bursting with life and with excellent ensemble work, great dynamics and virtuosity galore.”

With her exclusively 'baroque' or 'classical' hat on, she has lead several ensembles over the years: The King's Consort, Classical Opera Company, Florilegium, Dunedin Consort (to name a few) and she has enjoyed the varied experiences of playing with such groups as OAE, ORR, EBS and AAM. She has continued to develop and refine her approach to stylistic performance on different violins, ranging from the music of Monteverdi to the present day and has recorded extensively for Linn records as well as for Channel Classics, Divine Art and Hyperion.

She has performed Mozart and Brahms on period instruments at Cornell University, USA, in the Westfield Fortepiano Festival, organised by Malcolm Bilson and is a Faculty Member for the Chamber Music Collective which is based at both Cornell and Bucknell Universities, and which specialises in working with and alongside historical pianos. She is currently working with John Thwaites, head of piano at RCB on the Brahms violin sonatas – with a view to recording them.

With the Fitzwilliam, she has recorded works by Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert and Bruckner on gut set ups to broad and enthusiastic acclaim. Visit her website for more details.

Lucy is an extremely experienced, dedicated and highly regarded teacher, director, mentor and chamber music coach. She has taught and given masterclasses all over the world – in the Czech Republic, Russia, USA and South Africa; closer to home, she has worked at the Royal Academy of Music with the Modern Instrument Baroque Orchestra as well as preparing the RAM orchestra for Sir Simon Rattle on Haydn’s symphony no 88. She has taught at Royal Holloway College, Fitzwilliam College Cambridge, Pro Corda, St Mary’s Music School, Dartington International Summer School and Benslow Music. She has directed students at the Purcell School for performances of baroque repertoire and is committed to the Fitzwilliam's own chamber music course, Strings in Spring, at the University of St Andrews (Scotland) where she is also Honorary Professor of Violin.

She is Director of the highly popular St Andrews Baroque Summer School which attracts students from all around the world. The ethos of the course, ‘we meet you where you are’ is central to how she teaches. As a qualified Mindfulness Teacher, she incorporates focussed presence and listening, compassion, somatic and cognitive awareness alongside playfulness!

She has presented Mindful practices at ESTA and led courses with her colleague, Ruth Phillips.

“Lucy and Ruth model huge compassion, generosity and understanding as they help musicians like me start to heal from decades of stage fright, physical tension and crippling perfectionism. By the end of the weekend, I felt like I’d had a whole person re-boot with much to take away and explore.”

Lucy is committed to introducing Mindfulness to the institutions where she teaches to help answer some of the questions we might all ask:

What is the relationship you have with your instrument? Is it one that could be described as love/hate?

Do you tussle with tension?

Do you feel in ‘control or out of control’? How does this feel to you physically?

Are you in a battle with your ‘inner critic’?

Are you in flow and what does this mean?

For more information about Lucy, visit her website. 

Faculties / departments: Historical Performance

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