for ages 21 and under
Cecil Aronowitz | The Man behind the Competition
Cecil Solomon Aronowitz was born on 4 March 1916 in King William’s Town, South Africa, to Russian and Lithuanian parents. He began to play the piano when he was a boy, but very soon expressed a wish to learn the violin at his school, the Convent of the Sacred Heart.
The idea of a Jewish boy at a convent is unusual enough, but as he told it, the Mother Superior said: “Well, Cecil, if you want to learn the violin, we must find a way of teaching you”. So, they sent off for a book on the subject and one of the nuns was deputed to teach Cecil (10 years of age at the time). This unorthodox training gave him a somewhat hunched playing posture which he never lost. From 1928 he was a pupil at the school of music at Grahamstown Training College and from 1933 he began studying in Durban with Stirling Robbins.
In 1935 Cecil travelled to London on an overseas scholarship to further his studies with the Spanish-American pedagogue Achille Rivarde at the Royal College of Music; and in 1937 he took up the viola as a second study with Ernest Tomlinson, a fine player who was a regular guest violist with the Busch Quartet. Rivarde died in 1939 and Cecil’s course of study was even more seriously interrupted by war service – latterly in the Intelligence Corps. When he returned to the Royal College in 1946, he felt unable to recapture his form as a violinist. So, for £25 he bought the viola which he would use for the rest of his career; and his change of direction quickly brought recognition in the 1947 Cobbett Prize for chamber music.
In 1948 Cecil Aronowitz started a 25-year stint of teaching at the Royal College and a 30-year collaboration with the Amadeus Quartet, one of the three great Leitmotifs of his career.
Norbert Brainin said: “When we started to play quintets at a very early date we played with all sorts of people, very good players, but in the end, we stuck with Cecil because in some way he suited us. He was very musical and sometimes it felt as if he was a fifth member of the quartet.”
Siegmund Nissel was even more definite about that: “We regarded Cecil as literally a fifth member of the Amadeus. He was extremely kind and a very good musician, although he refused to play on good instruments, and it was a joy to be in his company. I remember with particular pleasure the children’s parties he gave for the children of the various musicians, especially at Christmas – he dressed up as Father Christmas”.
Norbert said of Cecil’s viola: “It was a very ordinary instrument, and he was proud to tell you that his fiddle case cost more than his instrument”. The various members of the Amadeus Quartet kept trading up until they were all playing on Strads or Del Gesù, but Cecil doggedly kept to his own viola and even when he had to borrow an Amati because his instrument had come unglued, he did not like it. Nor did he really enjoy playing the Frank Bridge viola that Britten lent him. The point about his viola was that it worked for him, and he made a splendid sound on it. Various attributions were attached to it, and still bears the label saying it was made by David Tecchler in 1730, but the latest wisdom from Charles Beare is that it is mid-18th-century French.
A wonderful Cecil story that Tully Potter regales so beautifully here just sums up Cecil’s relationship with the Amadeus Quartet perfectly. A Cecil story concerning the Amadeus may be apocryphal, but I have asked all the survivors about it and none of them has denied it. As you probably know, they used to fight like cats and dogs in rehearsal. They were rehearsing with Aronowitz for a tour which would include some quintets, and things were getting a bit tense, when the guest violist had the temerity to point out a slight flaw in one of his colleagues’ playing. Whoever it was, and I suspect the late Peter Schidlof, rounded on him and exploded: “Why should you have anything to say? You play like a pig!” Whereupon Cecil quietly got up, put his viola in its case and left. A few days later, Norbert phoned him. “Cecil, about that tour…”. – “You don’t want me; I play like a pig”. – “But my dear fellow, we all play like pigs. Now, about that tour…”.
In 1951 Aronowitz began teaching viola and coaching chamber music at William Glock’s Bryanston Summer School, which moved to Dartington in 1953 and with which he was involved for 20 years. From 1960 to 1962 he led the violas in Menuhin’s Bath Festival Orchestra and in 1963 he formed a duo with the pianist Nicola Grunberg, whom he married four years later. They had two children, Sebastian, and Tamsin. Hugh Maguire recalls Cecil as “the most wonderful viola player, always with a gorgeous sound” and “an incredibly busy man, racing round helping people”.
Here he can be seen meeting with the Queen Mother, gaining royal recognition for his remarkable talent.
I have been lucky enough to have Cecil’s unique viola since 27 December 2003. It came to me via a set of rather tragic circumstances that go back all the way to 1978. Cecil Aronowitz collapsed on stage whilst playing Mozart’s C major String Quintet with students and staff from the Britten-Pears School at Snape Maltings, Aldeburgh on 6 September 1978. He never recovered and died in hospital the next day. His viola was terribly damaged as he collapsed and for many years the broken instrument remained with Charles Beare, who lovingly pieced it back together again. It was in 1983 when Eric Rycroft an ex-student of Cecil’s (also a South African, and a student who had studied with Cecil at the Royal College) approached Nicola Grunberg (Cecil’s widow) and asked if he could buy the repaired viola. He duly took possession of the instrument, travelled back to South Africa and adored playing on it for many years. It was in 2000 when Eric had a tragic motorbike accident and injured his left hand and arm, resulting in him no longer being able to play the viola! Eric was devastated, quickly sent the viola to his sister Anne Rycroft who was at the time a violist in the London Philharmonic Orchestra. She very sadly died from cancer in November 2003 and unbelievably I called Eric on Christmas day 2003 and he quickly said to me: "Louise, my viola is waiting for you in London. Go and get it!”. My dear friend Michael Freyhan took me to fetch the viola that has undoubtedly changed my life on 27 December 2003, and well… the rest, as they say, “is history”. According to some reliable sources Cecil apparently used to put the ash from his cigarettes into the f-holes of his beloved viola… and his 1890 Sartory bow that I acquired 4 years ago from Emile Cantor he used to bite intermittently when bored in rehearsals… not sure if I should believe these old tales!
I was not quite sure how I might be able to continue the legacy of Cecil’s viola the first few years after it came to me. My first idea was to write a book about Cecil and his incredible journey with his viola, but, somehow, this did not quite seem to be the right thing. It was over 10 years after acquiring Cecil’s wonderful viola when the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition for violists aged 21 and under was launched at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire. Thus far the competition has been held twice, 2014 and 2017. Timothy Ridout was the inaugural winner in 2014 (aged 19) who has gone on to forge an international solo career, adding the accolade of becoming the first ever British winner of the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition in 2016. The 2017 winner was Emma Wernig (aged 18) from Los Angeles and a student at the Colburn School. The Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition has gone from strength to strength, with the first event only three days and the 2017 competition doubled as a massive festival and education symposium, running for an entire week. The latter competition also included a second and third prize, other major awards, over 80 master classes offered to young violists from across the UK and Europe, workshops in Birmingham Schools, lectures, daily recitals, and a luthier exhibition. Repertoire for the competition has been specially selected to reflect Cecil’s interests and philosophy as a musician. Solo Bach, the Mozart Sinfonia Concertante, a Sonata, Kreisler and either Bartok, Walton or Hindemith with orchestra.
Past Winners | The Springboard to Success
Xunyu Zhou
Timothy Ridout
Edgar Francis
Zhou Xunyu is 16 years old and is currently studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Liu Nian. In 2017, she was admitted to the primary school department of Shanghai Conservatory with excellent results. In 2020, she was exempted from the exam and directly promoted to the junior high school department of the con
Zhou Xunyu is 16 years old and is currently studying at the Shanghai Conservatory of Music under the guidance of Liu Nian. In 2017, she was admitted to the primary school department of Shanghai Conservatory with excellent results. In 2020, she was exempted from the exam and directly promoted to the junior high school department of the conservatory. Also, in 2020, she won the 21st Italian Montelosa Cavai Award at the Valcecia International Youth Music Competition and second prize in the fifth Russia Moscow International Music Competition. In 2021, she was selected for a Little Angels program and performed five folk song concertos together with Master Tang Muhai and Shanghai Opera House Symphony Orchestra.
Ms. Xunyu was admitted to the Morningside Music Bridge in 2022 and won the 11th Italy Giuseppe Raciti at the International Music Competition (Group C). In 2023, she was selected by Tabea Zimmermann to participate in the Kronberg Viola master class in Germany. Also that year, Ms. Xunyu was named the laureate of the fifth Oskar Nedbal International Viola Competition and won the Pirastro Prize for a young talent.
Edgar Francis
Timothy Ridout
Edgar Francis
Edgar Francis is a Welsh violist with a passion for exploring different musical genres. As the first prize winner of the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition 2021, his debut album will be released on Champs Hill Records.
He has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Royal Festival Hall,
Edgar Francis is a Welsh violist with a passion for exploring different musical genres. As the first prize winner of the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition 2021, his debut album will be released on Champs Hill Records.
He has performed at prestigious venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Wigmore Hall, and Royal Festival Hall, and regularly plays with ensembles such as the Sinfonia of London and the Kaleidoscope Collective. He has appeared at festivals including IMS Prussia Cove Open Chamber Music, Yellowbarn, Mendelssohn on Mull, the North Norfolk Music Festival, Southwell Music Festival, and Lewes Chamber Music Festival, sharing the stage with the Doric String Quartet, Anthony Marwood, Gilbert Kalish, and the Sitovetsky Trio. As a soloist, he has worked with orchestras under the baton of some of the world's leading conductors such as John Wilson, Edward Gardener, François-Xavier Roth, and Jac Van Steen, including multiple appearances at the BBC Proms.
Edgar Francis studied with Matthew Souter at Wells Cathedral School and with Helene Clement at the Royal Academy of Music. During his studies, he won the Wilfrid Parry Prize, a Regency Award, the Sir John Barbirolli Memorial Prize, and the Olwen Doreen Leyshon Prize. Additionally, he is the recipient of the Hattori Foundation Senior Award 2023.
Emma Wernig
Timothy Ridout
Timothy Ridout
Born in Los Angeles in 1999, Emma Wernig is a German-Austrian violist who has quickly become recognized for her expressive artistry and distinctive musical voice, establishing herself as a rising star on the international stage.
A distinguished competition laureate, Emma was awarded the Barbirolli Prize at the 2019 Tertis International Vio
Born in Los Angeles in 1999, Emma Wernig is a German-Austrian violist who has quickly become recognized for her expressive artistry and distinctive musical voice, establishing herself as a rising star on the international stage.
A distinguished competition laureate, Emma was awarded the Barbirolli Prize at the 2019 Tertis International Viola Competition and won the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition in 2017. These early successes were pivotal in launching her international career. In recognition of her exceptional talent, she also received the Wilo Foundation Prize in 2021, which continues to support her development as a soloist. These prestigious accolades paved the way for a vibrant performance career, which includes concertos, recitals, and chamber music performances across Europe and beyond.
Passionate about expanding the viola repertoire, Emma made her highly praised recording debut in 2021 with an album of rare Austrian viola works, recorded with pianist Albert Cano-Smit for the Champs Hill Records label. The album was met with critical acclaim for its innovative programming and rich interpretation. In 2024, she further expanded her discography with a recording (release TBA) of Alfred Schnittke's "Concerto for Three" alongside Gidon Kremer, Magdalena Ceple, and the Kremerata Baltica, underlining her ongoing commitment to both new and established repertoire.
As a soloist, Emma has performed with orchestras including the Kremerata Baltica, Meininger Hofkapelle, Württembergische Philharmonie Reutlingen, Folkwang Kammerorchester, and Französisches Kammerorchester, among others. Emma is also known for her creative approach to programming. An enthusiastic arranger, she often adapts works originally written for other instruments, such as cello, violin, and voice, for the viola, having debuted her own arrangement of Schumann’s Cello Concerto in the 2024/25 season.
In addition to her solo performances, Emma is the newly appointed violist of the award-winning, Doric String Quartet. Based in London, the quartet boasts a rich history and an acclaimed discography on the Chandos label, with a reputation for dynamic performances and cutting-edge programming. Upcoming projects include a full Beethoven cycle at Wigmore Hall, as well as international tours to America, Japan, Australia, and beyond. Emma is excited to contribute her unique voice to these ambitious projects, further strengthening the quartet’s renowned presence in the world of chamber music.
Emma has collaborated with many distinguished musicians, including Janine Jansen, Gidon Kremer, Lynn Harrell, Steven Isserlis, and Christian Tetzlaff and performed at prestigious festivals including the Verbier Festival, Aldeburgh Festival, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Edinburgh Festival, Grachtenfestival, Grafenegg Festival, Krzyzowa Music, Gezeitenkonzerte, and the Vevey Spring Classic Festival.
In 2024, she served as 1st Principal Viola with the Danish Radio Symphony Orchestra and participated in the orchestra’s recording of Schönberg's "Verklärte Nacht" for Deutsche Grammophon under the baton of Fabio Luisi. She is also a regularly invited Guest Principal of the London Symphony Orchestra and BBC Symphony Orchestra.
Emma’s educational background includes a Bachelor's degree from the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles, where she studied with Paul Coletti, and a Master’s degree from the Yale School of Music, where she studied with Ettore Causa and received the Lucy Grosvenor Memorial Prize. She has since completed an additional Master’s degree at the Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin, studying with Tabea Zimmermann.
Emma plays a viola crafted by Jason Viseltear in 2019 and currently resides in London. .
Timothy Ridout
Timothy Ridout
Timothy Ridout
Recent seasons have seen Ridout tour across Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, South America and Australia, appearing with orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Ham
Recent seasons have seen Ridout tour across Europe, Asia, USA, Canada, South America and Australia, appearing with orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony, BBC Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Metropolitan Symphony Orchestra, Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, hr-Sinfonieorchester, Tonhalle-Orchester Zürich, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Hamburger Symphoniker, Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne, the Hallé, Orchestre National Capitole Toulouse, WDR Sinfonieorchester, BBC Philharmonic, and Philharmonia Orchestra. Across his engagements, he has worked with conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Sakari Oramo, Andrew Manze, Riccardo Minasi, Sir András Schiff, Lionel Bringuier, Sylvain Cambreling, Nicholas Collon, David Zinman, and Kazuki Yamada.
An iconic chamber musician, Ridout continues to present both solo and ensemble programmes across venues such as Wigmore Hall, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and Alice Tully Hall New York. His partners include Janine Jansen, Isabelle Faust, Kian Soltani, Pablo Ferrández, Denis Kozhukhin, Benjamin Grosvenor, Federico Coli and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
In addition to these engagements, Ridout starts his tenure as one of Konzerthaus Dortmund’s Junge Wilde, which champions young, rising stars in the classical music world. He appears at festivals across Europe include his Verbier, Salzburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Rosendal and a residency at the Ryedale Festival in summer 2025.
Known for his wide ranging discography, Ridout regularly records for Harmonia Mundi, and has won a Gramophone Award for his recording of Elgar’s Cello Concerto, arranged for Viola by Lionel Tertis, in the concerto category in 2023. In 2024 Ridout released an album which pays tribute to the great violist Lionel Tertis. Previous recordings comprise of works by Prokofiev, Schumann, Britten, Vaughan-Williams and see Ridout collaborating BBC Symphony Orchestra and Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg as well as Pianists Frank Dupree and James Baillieu. In February 2025 he will release his first album for unaccompanied Viola with works by Britten, Shaw, Telemannn and Bach.
A graduate of the Royal Academy of Music and Kronberg Academy, he has earned accolades such as First Prize at both the Lionel Tertis and Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competitions. Ridout is a former BBC New Generation Artist and also a recipient of the Borletti Buitoni Trust Fellowship. He was the inaugural recipient of Hamburger Symphoniker’s Sir Jeffrey Tate Prize, and also took part in Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Bowers Program.
Timothy Ridout performs on a 1565-75 viola by Peregrino di Zanetto, generously on loan from a patron of the Beare’s International Violin Society.
With his remarkable range and commitment to expanding the viola repertoire, Ridout’s performances this season are poised to captivate audiences worldwide.
Design from 2021 - 2025
