The John Clementi Collard Fellowship 2018 Winner: Nazrin Rashidova

The John Clementi Collard Fellowship for 2018 has been awarded to violinist Nazrin Rashidova.

The Azerbaijani-born British violin virtuoso, soloist, recitalist, chamber musician and orchestral director, Nazrin Rashidova made her solo debut at the age of three in Baku and was awarded a gold medal by the Cairo Opera House for an exceptional violin recital three years later. Establishing FeMusa in 2008, Britain’s first female chamber orchestra in 60 years, is the latest in a series of achievements.

She was accepted into the Royal Academy of Music at the age of fifteen, where she had the privilege to play on a rare collection of violins by Antonio Stradivari. She studied with Professors Erich Gruenberg, Felix Andrievsky and Lydia Mordkovitch. A prizewinner in several international competitions, she has broadcast internationally, played for royalty and other dignitaries, and also performed in the US, Japan, Europe and the Middle East.

Nazrin’s two recordings for Naxos — works for violin and piano by Godowsky [8.573058] and Moszkowski [8.573410] — were acclaimed by The Strad and Gramophone magazines. Her fourth album, Carnival, was released in 2016 on First Hand Records. Comprising popular classical works newly arranged for the violin and guitar, it was acclaimed by The Strad, Fanfare and Classical Guitar magazines.

Nazrin is pursuing a PhD at the Royal Academy of Music, where her research explores Émile Sauret and the making of a world premiere recording series of his 24 Études-Caprices. The first volume [8.573704] was released in June 2017 and featured on BBC Radio 3. The second volume was recorded on the c.1685 ‘Sauret’ Stradivari violin, and was released in March 2018.

The Company wishes to express sincere thanks to Liveryman Chris Lawrence and Freeman Marcus Barcham-Stevens for conducting the Collard Fellowship interviews.

(Photo credit: Omur Black)