Osian Quartet with Tim Sidford (piano)

Osian Ensemble, founded in 2023, are a chamber string quartet studying at the Royal Northern College of Music that come together to provide high-quality concerts to a diverse audience all over England. They enjoy creating high-level music together and work to create distinct musical identity within quartet music. Over the last few years together, the group have provided concerts all over the North of England and frequently have performed in concert series in places such as Manchester, Didsbury, Burton in Longsdale and Salford. The group not only perform classically but also within contemporary settings - recently they honoured the late Mani from the Stone Roses in a tribute to over three thousand people and have also performed in a fashion show in Salford. 

Smetana’s String Quartet No. 1, “From My Life,” is a deeply personal musical autobiography, charting the composer’s youthful aspirations, love, triumphs, and eventual hearing loss with remarkable emotional power. In contrast, Schulhoff’s Five Pieces for String Quartet delights with its vibrant mix of dance styles, playful wit, and rhythmic energy. The concert conclude with Mozart’s Piano Concerto in A major, K414, heard here in its intimate arrangement for piano and string quartet, retaining all the grace, warmth, and lyrical elegance of the original. The reduced forces create a conversational interplay between the musicians, highlighting the concerto’s chamber-like character, expressive melodies, and sparkling piano writing.