DAVID QUIGLEY AND THE CECILIA ENSEMBLE

                                    (for 15.1.26)

 

There are tales of musicians finding inspiration as the result of a dream: the violinist-composer Tartini and his “Devil’s Trill” Sonata, Schumann dreaming that the angels had sent him his Violin Concerto, Wagner’s Walther dreaming of the Prize Song that was to make him a Mastersinger.

 

And now we have pianist David Quigley, inspired by St Cecilia, patron saint of music, in the naming of his fledgling chamber ensemble, as he tells me, returning from a Christmas break in his native Ireland.

“The name has a special significance for me. There is, of course, the connection with St Cecilia, the patron saint of music and musicians, but the decision became clear in a much more personal way. My maternal grandmother, Mary Owens, was married in St Cecilia’s Church, New York City in 1936, and I visited the church myself in 2017. I later dreamt that I was back there and met my grandmother, who coincidentally passed away on 22 November 2003 —  The Feast Day of St Cecilia. When I woke up, I knew immediately that I had found the right name. In that sense, the Cecilia Ensemble is also a tribute to my grandmother, who adored music and was immensely proud of my musical journey.”

David’s musical journey was launched in Birmingham (where he was in fact a student of mine in theory classes).

“Birmingham has been a hugely important part of my adult life,” he reminisces. “I moved from Ireland to the city in 1996 to study at the then Birmingham Conservatoire, now the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, where I worked with my long-term mentor and fellow Irishman, Philip Martin. My years there were incredibly happy and successful. I won many of the internal competitions and performed numerous solo recitals and concertos at venues including the Adrian Boult Hall and Symphony Hall, as well as further afield.

“The guidance I received at the Conservatoire was second to none. The standard of playing, particularly within the keyboard department, was exceptionally high, thanks to the leadership of Malcolm Wilson and a faculty of truly inspirational and caring pianists. Not long after graduating, I was invited to join the teaching staff at both the Conservatoire and the University of Birmingham. Although I moved to Manchester in 2017, I continue to teach at both institutions and, after living in Birmingham for more than 20 years, I still very much consider it home.”

David explains how the idea of the Cecilia Ensemble came into being.

“For the early part of my career, my focus was almost entirely on solo performance. Success in major competitions such as BBC Young Musician of the Year and the Royal Overseas League, along with being selected as the UK’s representative for the European Concert Hall Organisation’s Rising Star tour in 2002–03, helped launch an international career that took me across Europe and the United States. Until relatively recently, however, chamber music played only a small role in my professional life.

“That changed in 2016, when I was invited to become the pianist of the Fews Ensemble, a newly formed chamber group based in Ireland. Over the past decade, that ensemble has grown into one of Ireland’s leading chamber music groups, and through working with them I discovered a deep passion for the chamber music repertoire. This passion has ultimately led me to form an ensemble featuring some of the finest chamber music players currently based in the UK.

 

“As I began thinking seriously about forming a new ensemble, I discussed the idea with Joanne Sweet, Head of University Music and Concerts at the University of Birmingham. That conversation led to Cecilia Ensemble being appointed as UoB’s resident ensemble, working in the Department of Music and with University Music – the University’s extra-curricular music programme. We’re excited about the opportunity to inspire students through chamber music coaching, workshops with composition students, and performances within the University’s concert series. While our links to Birmingham are central, my vision is for the ensemble to grow into a nationally and internationally recognised group that can act as an ambassador for the city.”

Will contemporary music feature in David’s plans for the Cecilia Ensemble?

“Contemporary music will be a vital part of what we do. An ensemble of this flexibility is particularly appealing to composers, especially those interested in writing for smaller forces or unusual instrumental combinations. Composition students at the University of Birmingham will be writing new works for us to workshop and perform, and as the ensemble develops, I hope we’ll commission pieces from more established composers as well.”

The Cecilia Ensemble’s inaugural concert, a lunchtime at the Elgar Hall in Birmingham University’s Bramall Building, features works by the university’s first two professors of music,  as David explains.

“For our inaugural concert, I was very deliberate in my choice of programme. Elgar’s Piano Quintet has long been a favourite of mine, and it feels especially fitting to perform it in the Elgar Hall at the University of Birmingham, given his role as the University’s first Professor of Music. This year also marks the 80th anniversary of the death of Granville Bantock, Elgar’s successor in the post, and I wanted to include one of his works alongside the Elgar. The concert opens with The Ghost Road, a short movement from Bantock’s suite In a Chinese Mirror for string quartet. Its eerie, atmospheric quality beautifully echoes the ghostly undercurrents that run through Elgar’s quintet.”

*The Cecilia Ensemble performs in the Elgar Hall, Bramall Music Building, University of Birmingham at 1pm, January 16 (admission free).

Christopher Morley