NEWS AND THANKS

In announcing that Simon Rowland Jones has retired from the honorary presidency of the Xenia Chamber music course, we wish to take the opportunity to thank him for being such a long-standing friend and inspiring model.

Not least we remember his amazing master classes, given at Pracatinat over his three visits to the course as a guest of honour.
None of us will forget his stimulating and deeply insightful lectures on the Haydn quartets, which he researched meticulously when preparing the new Peters edition of the complete cycle. Equally, we treasure memories of his participation in our “Xenia and Friends” concerts, both as violist and composer.
Our course students (including several pre-formed quartets) have benefited enormously from Simon’s knowledge and experience. Naturally many of them sought him out in the UK to seek guidance and further their studies with him.
Although Simon’s many commitments no longer allow him to keep his position as Honorary President, we hope that we can keep in close touch and that one day he will revisit us at Pracatinat.

In the meantime, we are delighted to welcome as our new Honorary president Marc Danel, the leader of the renowned Danel quartet and president of the Netherlands String Quartet Academy. We should mention his predecessor at the NSKA Stefan Metz was our guest of honour at the 2017 Course.
Marc is not only active as a performer but as an experienced and much sought-after teacher throughout Europe. For example, he holds a professorship at the Lyon Conservatoire and held a residency with his quartet at Manchester University. His deep commitment to the string quartet is exemplary, not least in the contemporary repertoire.
His many recordings with the Danel quartet include the much-acclaimed cycles of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Bartok, Shostakovich, and Weinberg.

His example inspires us, and we look forward greatly to hosting him during our next courses!