Castalian String Quartet - About

BBT offers so much more than financial support – it is a family that nurtures and cares whilst giving young artists such as ourselves the opportunity to explore creative projects that would otherwise have remained mere pipe dreams.

Active between 2011 and 2025, the Castalian String Quartet forged strong relationships with festivals and venues in the US and across Europe, particularly East Neuk Festival and Wigmore Hall. It also became the first Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at the University of Oxford. Whether in the classical quartet repertoire or in new work, the Castalian String Quartet was known for its power and passion.

Beyond filming one of its Wigmore Hall concerts to help with future promotion – an increasingly important facet in a young artist or ensemble’s life – the Castalians wanted to commission. They premiered Awake by Mark Anthony Turnage, commissioned with the support of BBT, as part of their Edinburgh International Festival debut to great public and critical acclaim. BBT was on hand at a rehearsal beforehand to discuss the work’s genesis and background with the four members of the quartet for a BBT Artist profile film, Six Steps to a New Work.

Castalian String Quartet was supported with a BBT Fellowship between 2018 and 2023.

Press Release: Mark Anthony Turnage Awake

Photographs by Paul Marc Mitchell