& Leo Popplewell (cello)
Saturday 20th Sep 2025, 7:30pm
Benedict Holland, Violin
David Greed, Violin
Kimi Makino, Viola
Adrian Bradbury, ‘Cello
Boccherini: String Quintet in C
Schubert: D956
Shostakovich: Quartet no 4, D, Op 83
The Victoria String Quartet began life in 2017 in a swimming pool, with a gala concert in aid of the historic Victoria Baths in Manchester’s Hathersage Road. Since then it has gone on to perform for chamber music societies and festivals throughout the UK and has been hailed as an ensemble ‘brim full with pedigree and wide experience’ (Buxton International Festival), performing at venues including Kendal (Lake District Summer Music), Pinner and Buxton Festivals, London, Manchester (Bridgewater, RNCM and Stoller halls), north Norfolk, north and west Wales and the Scottish Borders.
In addition to gathering return invitations to chamber music societies and festivals, the Victorias are curating an ongoing programme of creative projects: a collection of short chamber works about (and by) Sir John Manduell (Divine Arts), a recording of the Weber, Cooke and Brahms clarinet quintets, and a CD of string chamber music by Richard Pantcheff (to be released 2024 Prima Facie), with BBC Radio 3 presenter Tom McKinney. A recent autumn residency at Marchmont House in the Scottish Borders saw the Quartet performing and recording a collection of string chamber works by Scottish composer Helen Leach. Enthusiasts for lost and undiscovered works, in 2022 the Quartet gave the first public performances of Elgar’s Six Fragments for String Quartet and are looking forward to recording them in 2024. Since its inception, the Quartet has also enjoyed sharing the concert platform with eminent colleagues such as the quartet, Quatuor Danel, Peter Hewitt and Irina Andrievsky (piano), Leo Popplewell (cello), Richard Simpson (oboe) and John Bradbury, (Clarinet).
Praised for his “full-blooded commitment” and “delicious dancing grace” (The Telegraph), Leo Popplewell is much in demand as a chamber musician, recitalist and orchestral principal.
He is the founding cellist of the award-winning Mithras Trio, enjoying an active concert and recording schedule. They shot to international recognition winning first prize at the 10th Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition in 2019, and were also first prize winners at the 67th Royal Over-Seas League Annual Music Competition, Cavatina Intercollegiate Chamber Music Competition 2019 and St. James Chamber Music Competition 2018. They were selected as Kirckman Concert Society Young Artists for the 2019/2020 season, and Countess of Munster Trust Recital Scheme Artists for 2019-2022. In 2019 they won the Royal Philharmonic Society Henderson Award, and were named as YCAT finalists in 2020. They were selected as BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists for the 2021-23 seasons, making numerous studio recordings, festival appearances and a Wigmore Hall debut in 2023 which was hailed in The Arts Desk as an “exhilarating, highly-toned” performance. Their debut album, ‘EROS’, was released on the Linn label in November 2023 to universal critical acclaim. In 2024 they were recipients of a prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.
His passion for the orchestral repertoire was ignited during his time as principal cellist in the National Youth Orchestra. He was appointed co-principal cellist with the London Mozart Players in 2022, and has appeared as a guest principal with other orchestras including the London Philharmonic, Royal Liverpool Philharmonic and Hallé.
He read music at Clare College, Cambridge before completing his studies at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama with Louise Hopkins. His studies were generously supported by awards from the Guildhall School, Countess of Munster Musical Trust, Help Musicians UK, Coro Nuovo, and the Craxton Memorial Trust.