Last week, the Cousin Quartet wrapped up their residency with the Australian National Academy of Music (ANAM) at the Abbotsford Convent. The quartet - who also took out the inaugural Robert Salzer First Prize for Strike A Chord in 2020 - were flown down to Melbourne with a guardian to take part in the residency that saw them gain access to private rehearsal rooms with coaching staff for a week of training, that all led to a brilliant performance in front of friends and family to close out the week.
Beatrice, Dylan, Hanna and Jamie of the Cousin Quartet shared their reflections on this fascinating experience, which you can read in full below paired with photos from the day.
Beatrice Colombis (17), 1st Violin
Our week in Melbourne was one of the most amazing experiences I’ve ever had. It was so inspirational to be immersed in such a positive environment and we loved seeing how passionate everyone there is about music. Every single day felt special, and I can honestly say that I can’t pinpoint any particular highlight- it was all wonderful. Every tutorial and lesson that we had with the mentors at ANAM was extremely valuable and I know that I will benefit from everything that I learnt as I continue to grow as a musician. I feel that both my quartet and I personally improved immensely over the course of five days, and I definitely feel inspired to continue to work together and play more chamber music.
It was amazing to have the chance to collaborate with musicians studying at ANAM, they were all incredibly friendly and welcoming and we had such a great time rehearsing with them. Playing the Mendelssohn Octet and Schumann Quintet was a big team effort and performing the pieces at the end of the week was unbelievably rewarding. We all felt extremely proud.
I feel immensely grateful to Musica Viva and ANAM (and everyone who made our week possible) for this wonderful opportunity. I want to especially thank student Ruby Shirres who looked after us during the week, she was incredibly kind and made us feel so welcome right from the start. I truly hope to return to ANAM in the future, thank you so much for this life-changing experience.