Violist Rosalind Ventris (m2006) pursues a varied international career as a soloist and chamber musician. In addition to performance and recording, she teaches at the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin. She recently became one of the Artistic Directors of the Cowbridge Music Festival in Wales, which offers a mixture of classical, folk, jazz and other musical genres. “I’m absolutely delighted and thrilled to have been appointed as one of the new Artistic Directors of the Festival alongside my husband, Joseph Fort," she said.

Music, biscuits and laughter

Music has always been at the heart of Rosalind’s life. “My first musical memories are of my mum—an amateur violinist and violist—playing at home with her friends. These occasions were filled with music, coffee, biscuits and laughter. This made a lasting impression on me as a child, and in a way I’ve just tried to make out a career out of playing great music and having a good time with friends”.

At age 17, she was the youngest competitor at the 2006 Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition, where she received the Gwynne Edwards Memorial Prize for the most promising British entrant. Later that year she came to Cambridge to study music at Corpus.

Rosalind recalls her time at Corpus. "The University had many competitions that led to amazing experiences playing with the exceptional University orchestras. I was also a member of several contemporary music ensembles at Cambridge, something that has been a big part of my career ever since."

“I loved playing in West Road, Kettle’s Yard and the Corpus Chapel in particular. I might just be a tiny bit biased, but Corpus Chapel is my favourite in Cambridge. With its wonderful acoustics, beautiful piano and central location, it’s the ideal location for a concert. I think it’s the perfect size to have a real sense of intimacy and connection with the audience."

During her time at Cambridge, Rosalind met her husband Joseph Fort, who was also a Cambridge student. “We met at Cambridge and then again in the USA when he was completing his PhD at Harvard and I was studying with the legendary violist Kim Kashkashian at the New England Conservatory in Boston. We've performed together since then, most often as an organ/viola duo. We work in quite different fields, so it's nice to bounce ideas off each other musically with our different specialisms." The couple were last back in Cambridge together just before the pandemic took hold last year for a dinner at Joseph's college, Emmanuel. “I performed in the Cambridge Festival earlier this year, as part of a project exploring environmental issues, music and poetry". The virtual concert featured a variety of solo viola music and is still available to view online. 

Rosalind was helped with support during her time at Corpus. “I’m really grateful for this today. In College, I received a Corpus Taylor Bursary in 2009 and a Craythorne Scholarship (Worshipful Company of Cutlers), giving me the financial support to have instrumental lessons, which was essential to my development."

Rosalind performs at some of the greatest venues and festivals in the world, including the Royal Festival Hall, Wigmore Hall, West Cork, Aldeburgh Festival, Auditorium du Louvre, Bozar, Great Music in Irish Houses, Slovak Philharmonic and Het Concertgebouw. As a concerto soloist, she has been invited to perform with the European Union Chamber Orchestra, Sinfonia Cymru, l’Orchestre Royal de Chambre de Wallonie and the Belgian National Orchestra. At the end of 2020 Rosalind recorded her debut solo album, featuring outstanding works by leading female contemporary and twentieth-century composers (the first solo viola music exclusively by women) inspired by nature, folk music and dance.

She regularly performs with the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective and in the flute, viola and harp ensemble Trio Anima. Rosalind has just recorded a disc for Chandos Records as part of the Kaleidoscope Chamber Collective. The recording includes two other Cambridge alumni, the pianist Tom Poster and cellist Laura van der Heijden, and violinists Elena Urioste and Melissa White, and bass Matthew Rose. It features the premiere recording of a piano quintet by the African-American composer Florence Price. “This was a voyage of discovery for us because it is virtually unknown. It was so interesting to work on this wonderful, major work, as it doesn't have any kind of performance tradition: it was rediscovered in 2009 in the attic of a derelict house in the States, alongside other long-lost works of hers! The Special Collections Department at the University of Arkansas made available the autograph score to Tom Poster." The Collective has been invited to perform in the Wigmore Hall's 120th Birthday celebrations by the end of the month, when they'll be playing the Price to a live audience.

“During my time at Cambridge I took a course in performance practice as part of the Music tripos, and this has become an increasingly important influence on me in recent years. I've become more involved in performance practices in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. For works where there is a recorded performance tradition, I find it fascinating how these early recordings of this repertoire diverge from modern performance, and I think there is so much we can learn from listening more closely to these resources." As a British Library Edison Fellow in 2018-2019, Rosalind explored string playing in Czech repertoire of this era, and she received funding from the Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin and Erasmus to further her research.

About the Cowbridge Music Festival

The Cowbridge Music Festival was founded in 2010 by Mary Elliott-Rose and Sam Edwards. Taking place every year in early autumn, the Festival places classical music alongside jazz, vocal and world music in the picturesque old market town of Cowbridge, in the heart of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Of Rosalind and Joseph's joint appointment, the Festival said, "Rosalind and Joseph will lead the Festival with energy and a bold artistic vision as it continues in its mission to bring international artistic excellence to Cowbridge, to inspire and educate the next generation of young musicians, and to promote its life-affirming concerts to everyone in the community and beyond. As live music returns, 2021 promises a wonderful series of concerts and events, with the Festival’s characteristic mix of classical, folk, jazz and more. Should restrictions continue further, the Festival has planned a resilient set of measures to ensure that music lovers will still be able to enjoy a rich programme this year."

Since 2014 the Festival has the endorsement of violinist Nicola Benedetti CBE, who is the Festival’s Patron, and in 2017 the renowned Welsh pianist, Llŷr Williams, became the Festival’s Associate Artist.

Image: Rosalind Ventris playing in Corpus Chapel by Alex Barnes