Jeffrey Armstrong – Violin

Instrument / Skill

Violin

Biography

Jeffrey Armstrong is a South African-born violinist, currently studying with Elisabeth Kufferath at the Hochschule for Music, Theatre and Media in Hannover. Having studied in the UK for four years at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire, Jeffrey enjoys a varied lifestyle of chamber music, ad hoc orchestral work and recitals between Germany, the UK and South Africa.

During his studies in Birmingham, Jeffrey was awarded numerous prizes, notably the Principal’s Prize for outstanding contribution to the life of the conservatoire. He also received masterclasses from, among others, Daniel Rowland, Boris Brovtsyn, Jan Repko, Baiba Skride, Olivier Charlier, and Leonidas Kavakos. Jeffrey has performed as a soloist with the Cape Town Philharmonic Orchestra, the Kwazulu-Natal Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as the Johannesburg Symphony Orchestra. More recently, he performed the Brahms Double Concerto with cellist Tom Pickles and the Cranbrook Symphony Orchestra.

Jeffrey is a member of Collegium, a string group comprised of young musicians from around Europe. During his Bachelor’s degree, he was violinist of the Continental Quartet, and subsequently the Fletcher quartet. This included engagements at Wigmore Hall, Cheltenham Town Hall, and a performance of Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro at Windsor Castle. He has been coached and mentored by musicians including Oliver Wille, Jian Wang, Eberhard Feltz, Anthony Spiri, Jonathan Kelly, and Louise Lansdown.

In Hannover, Jeffrey is concertmaster of Ensemble Gerauschkulisse, a young and dynamic student ensemble that performs in and around Hannover under the baton of conductor Tammo Krüger. Most recently, Jeffrey has founded the Cape Chamber Music Collective with a number of his colleagues in South Africa, aiming to inspire and uplift students and professionals alike in the South African classical music scene by putting on a series of high-quality chamber music concerts.

Due to be released later this year is an album including three unpublished duos by York Bowen, recorded with violist Yue Yu for her debut album with Naxos.