Claire Martin writes about her upcoming tour with the Montpellier Cello Quartet starting on the 22nd March 2013 at the Royal Northern College of Music and ending on 9th June at The Stables in Wavendon.

My daughter’s cello teacher Joe Giddey just happened to mention that he played in a cello quartet and something about that just caught my imagination.  I went to see them play in a church in Brighton where I live and I could immediately imagine my voice with them.  The sound was so utterly beautiful and so different from anything I have done before.  Whilst I am very lucky to be asked to sing with the finest orchestra’s in the country, this was something with strings that I could actually tour with and after 25 years of travelling around the world with a piano trio,  it was time for some re-invention!!  I jumped at the chance of making something happen with the Montpellier Cello Quartet.

The arrangements have all been written especially for me by close friends who have all been incredibly generous with their time and skills and very keen to write for four cello’s.  My late friend and mentor Sir Richard Rodney Bennett wrote the first arrangement of Kurt Weil’s ‘My Ship’ and so this is very dear to me as it was the last thing he did with me last year.  I’m thrilled to say Mark Anthony Turnage has arranged a Joni Mitchell song,  Django Bates has arranged one of his own songs which is great fun and a real challenge!  The fabulous Laurence Cottle has arranged a Monk tune and one of our own songs and bassist Simon Woolf has just finished a great version of ‘Making Whoopie’ as 3 of the 4 cellists are getting married this year!!

It’s a big leap,  but I’m hopeful will appeal to jazz fans as well as classical fans. Let’s see…!!!

Tour Dates:

22nd March, Manchester: Royal Northern College of Music

31st March, Sussex: The De La Warr Pavillion

5th April, Brighton: St Luke’s Church

10th May, Lincoln: Drill Hall

31st May, Bristol: Colston Hall

9th June, Wavendon: The Stables