Timothy Ridout, RPS Allianz Prize for solo viola

Timothy Ridout

RPS Allianz Instrumentalist Prize 2019 | Solo Viola

Selected as a BBC New Generation Artist in 2019, Timothy is one of the most sought after violists of his generation.

This season Timothy appears as soloist with the Orchestre de Lille, Salzburg Camerata, Philharmonia Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, Tapiola Sinfonietta, Orchestre National Bordeaux, Aachen Symphony and Krasnoyarsk Regional Orchestras. He records for the Harmonia Mundi Nova series and with l’Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne for Claves Records.

Other highlights include recitals at Wigmore Hall, Auditorium du Louvre and the Lucerne Festival. He takes part in the Lockenhaus, Heimbach and Kronberg Festivals, collaborating with Isabel Faust, Janine Jansen, Kian Soltani, Benjamin Grosvenor, Lars Vogt, Nicolas Altstaedt and Christian Tetzlaff, among many others. Further afield he returns to Japan and joins the Marlboro Academy in the USA on the invitation of Mitsuko Uchida.

Over the last year Timothy has made his debut with the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra, undertaken a residency with Baden-Baden Philharmonie, and performed the Walton Concerto with the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich under the auspices of the Orpheum Foundation. He has worked with conductors including Christoph Eschenbach, David Zinman, Gabor Takács-Nagy, Sylvain Cambrelling, Jamie Phillips and Sir Andras Schiff.

During 2019 he collaborated with Steven Isserlis, Joshua Bell, Jeremy Denk, the Quatuor Arod and Nash Ensemble at Wigmore Hall and made his debut at the Konzerthaus Berlin, Heidelberger-Frühling, Montpelier and Aspen Music Festivals. Sought after as a chamber musician Timothy took part in festivals across Europe including the Bergen, Rosendal, Evian, Boswil Sommer, Musikdorf-Ernen and Molyvos Festivals.

In 2016 Timothy won 1st Prize in the Lionel Tertis Competition and was selected by Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT). Other prizes include the 2019 Thierry Scherz Award at the Sommets Musicaux de Gstaad and 1st Prize at the 2014 Cecil Aronowitz Competition.

Born in London in 1995, Timothy studied at the Royal Academy of Music graduating with the Queen’s Commendation for Excellence. He completed his Masters at the Kronberg Academy with Nobuko Imai in 2019 and in 2018 took part in Kronberg Academy’s Chamber Music Connects the World.

Timothy plays on a viola by Peregrino di Zanetto c.1565-75 generously on loan from Beare's International Violin Society.

As winner of the 2019 RPS Allianz Instrumentalist Prize, Timothy will be our viola advocate, actively inspiring others of the viola's worth over the course of the year. His advocacy extends above and beyond performing on the concert platform. We will help Timothy fulfill this role both as a mentor for the next generation of viola players, and through creating digital content for the viola to reach and engage a wider audience.

Timothy is represented by YCAT. You can follow Timothy on his website, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.