Music Up Close: The Partridge Quartet Visit Crashendo

Last term, we were incredibly lucky to welcome the Partridge String Quartet to Crashendo for a very special day of music, inspiration and collaboration.

The quartet began by performing a 30-minute concert for all of our students, sharing three wonderful pieces and giving our young musicians the opportunity to experience professional chamber music up close. From the very beginning, the students were totally engaged—and clearly loved every minute of it!

After the concert, the quartet spent some intensive workshop time with our most senior students, the Elgars. They worked closely with the students on one of the Elgars’ pieces, offering guidance, encouragement and plenty of musical inspiration.

Playing side-by-side with professionals

One of the highlights of the day was having the Elgars perform alongside the Partridge String Quartet in our Performing Arts Centre.

Rather than simply watching from the audience, our students were right there in the music-making—playing side-by-side with these amazing professional musicians. It was a wonderful opportunity for them to experience what collaborative music-making can feel like at a very high level.

The quartet then performed a couple more pieces, arranging themselves in a circle facing one another. The students were invited to sit around them, creating an incredibly immersive listening experience.

Being surrounded by the sound of a professional string quartet allowed the students to really feel the music—to hear the individual instruments, experience the interaction between the players and see the communication that happens between musicians while they perform.

From practising to the professional stage

The day finished with a question-and-answer session, and our students came up with some fantastic questions.

They were genuinely curious about what it takes to become a professional musician: how much the quartet members practice, what it is like performing with friends, how they started their musical journeys and what life is really like as a professional musician.

It was wonderful to see just how engaged and interested they were.

One thing that really stood out was how warm, relaxed and approachable the Partridge String Quartet were. Two members of the quartet, Eunise and Dan, have worked with Crashendo previously, so it was particularly lovely to welcome them back—but the whole quartet brought such a positive and generous energy to the program.

Visits like this remind us that music education is about so much more than learning notes, rhythms and technique. It is about seeing where music can take you, meeting the people who make it their lives, and being inspired to imagine what might be possible.

A huge thank you to the Partridge String Quartet for sharing their music, their stories and their time with us.

We hope they’ll come back to Crashendo again soon! 🎻✨