Kate Oswin
Originally from Christchurch, New Zealand, Kate moved to London to undertake Masters studies with Remus Azoitei at the Royal Academy of Music in 2014, where she was awarded the DipRAM and Regency Award for notable achievement upon graduating.
Kate performs as leader of the Behn String Quartet, winners of the Charles Hennen First Prize and Special Prize for the best performance of a contemporary work at the Orlando International String Quartet Competition. They are an Associate Ensemble with the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, having previously held the CAVATINA Chamber Music Fellowship at the Royal Academy from 2016-18. They were honoured to give the world premiere performance of Sir Peter Maxwell Davies’ final work ‘Movement for String Quartet’ at his Memorial Service at St John’s Smith Square. Recent performances include recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Fondazione Cini Venice in association with Le Dimore del Quartetto, String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, the West Cork Chamber Music Festival, and Southbank Centre. They toured as Encompass Artists with Chamber Music New Zealand, and their performances have been broadcast on BBC Radio, Medici TV, the Netherlands NPO Radio, Radio New Zealand, and NHK World TV Japan. The Behn Quartet were also part of the official 40th anniversary celebrations for Queen’s ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, performing a specially commissioned ‘re-imagination’ of the iconic song which was featured in news outlets worldwide and hailed by Rolling Stone Magazine as ‘a sweeping performance as grand as the original’.
Kate is currently a member of the First Violins in the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. She has previously worked on a freelance basis with the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra, New Zealand Symphony Orchestra, and was selected to work with the London Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their ‘Future Firsts’ programme in 2017-18. For the past two years she has also taught undergraduate violin students at King’s College London.