Mendelssohn on Mull
He invited musicians from Edinburgh, Glasgow and London to join him in a week’s retreat to play chamber music. His guests included the three remaining members of the Amadeus Quartet, so the music-making, which included the Schubert Quintet, must have been very special.
The logistics were handled by Marilyn Jeffcoat, whom Leonard knew in Edinburgh. Marilyn was so committed to the whole concept that she became its most loyal and active supporter. She steered the organisation through many changes over the years and remains influential in our planning to this day. This year she moves to a new role as one of our Patrons.
The Trustees invited Angus Ramsay, of Scottish Opera, to take charge, and he remained in post until 2000, the year when we welcomed Prince Philip to Mull and Iona. Angus, like Leonard, had been a student of Max Rostal.
In 2001 our Artistic Director was Andrew Watkinson, of the London-based Endellion Quartet, and we began the model which we follow to this day. Students from a broad sweep of conservatoires are invited towards the end of their training, to work in ensembles with more experienced musicians, playing alongside them as equals. This year also saw the beginning of our long association with the acclaimed violinist Marcia Crayford, of the Nash Ensemble. We were sorry that, for family reasons, Andrew was only with us for two years.
During 14 years Levon invited many wonderful students to work with his regular team of mentors, and we attracted audiences from all over the UK and beyond to our July weeks. Each year we presented as many as a dozen concerts in a few days, sometimes performing in parallel in different parts of the island, with regular visits to Iona Abbey and Duart Castle.
No one who participated in those years, either as performer or as audience, can forget Levon’s charisma and passion.
In July 2018 we welcomed the Doric String Quartet to their first Mendelssohn on Mull. We had been led by four individual Artistic Directors, all male violinists, and it was felt that the next chapter of our history should be curated by an ensemble.
We hoped to find a quartet of world class to provide compassionate leadership to emerging musicians, to prepare and perform, within no more than a week, a demanding schedule of concerts, and, as before, to play as equals, rather than sit aloof as coaches.
We have all enjoyed the Doric's thrilling performances and their generosity as mentors to more than 40 young artists during their five years with us.
If you would like to support us we especially value regular giving but all donations are very welcome and all go towards nurturing musical talent for the future.
