Laureates from the first MICMC, the St Lawrence String Quartet, have mentored competitors from this the 6th MICMC, the Attacca Quartet from the USA. The St Lawrence violist Lesley Robertson is also on this year’s jury. Here are the two generations of quartets both playing Haydn:

St Lawrence String Quartet

Attacca Quartet

This got me thinking. Firstly, of the idea of a musical family tree – a pedagogical thread that connects generations through informed chamber music practice. Perhaps in 20 or even 10 years’ time we’ll see members of the Attacca Quartet coaching another twentysomething quartet.

As a student I had some wonderful teachers, who were also taught by wonderful teachers, and so on. I felt a distinct pride in knowing my teacher had studied with André Navarra and Pablo Casals, and hoped that some of their wisdom would rub off on me. As a student in Basel in 1997 I was fortunate to have regular lessons with Walter Levin (LaSalle Quartet) and Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet). Between them they’ve taught hundreds of top-quality ensembles across countless countries with the combined carbon footprint to prove it.

In fact, Walter Levin’s LaSalle Quartet themselves taught the young Alban Berg Quartet, not to mention the Artemis and Prazak Quartets. What strikes me when listening to their recordings is the singular identity of each group – that despite such strong coaching from formidable musical personalities they have been able to forge their own identities, and importantly, their own unique sound.