Originally from Cardiff and raised in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Lydia Abell completed the Masters of Performance course at the Royal Academy of Music, where she held the CAVATINA Chamber Music Fellowship 2016/17 as violist of the Behn Quartet. During her time at the Academy Lydia was the recipient of the Margit & Benjamin Dale Award, which supported her studies with Martin Outram, who she also learned with whilst at Emmanuel College, Cambridge.

Recent engagements include a performance of Schubert’s Octet at Wigmore Hall as part of the Crying Out Loud Concert Series; performing Boulez Messagesquisse for seven violists in a series of concerts with principal violist of the LSO, Paul Silverthorne; and performing in masterclasses given by international violists Atar Arad, Helen Callus, Garth Knox, and Hartmut Rohde. She performed with the Sainsbury Royal Academy Soloists Ensemble in concert as part of the Menuhin Competition 2016 and live on Radio 3’s “In Tune”. Lydia was selected to work under the baton of Oliver Knussen on a recording for Linn Records at the Britten Studio, in Aldeburgh and had the pleasure of performing in the highly-acclaimed Kohn Foundation Bach Cantata series.

Lydia currently plays a Milanese viola on loan from the Royal Academy of Music.

Photo: Nicky Kelvin Photograph

Lydia treedt op zondag 4 november 2018 op in de kerk van Mook met het Behn Quartet, ware het niet dat ze recent vervangen is door Ana Teresa Alves