Karin Leishman

Instrument:  Violin

Karin Leishman is widely recognised as being at the forefront of British chamber music and specialist music education. Having mentored violin and viola specialists for some forty years, many of her university students have graduated with high first class honours (across the board on occasion), won major concerto concert opportunities, been offered significant scholarships from major music colleges for postgraduate study; other students have simply felt renewed inspiration and energy for their instrument.

For the past two decades Karin Leishman has been the leader of the Alberni String Quartet, one of Britain’s most distinguished chamber ensembles and once described in the New York Times after a Carnegie Hall recital as “one of the finest half dozen quartets in the world’ and as ‘reflecting the best of British musical tradition’ by the Washington Post. Famous for their interpretations of the great Viennese classics, a complete Beethoven cycle performed in the UK over just six consecutive nights attracted and thrilled capacity audiences, some of which had travelled from as far as America and Europe especially for the event.

Karin’s chamber and solo recitals include broadcasting ‘live’ for ABC Radio Australia, the Davos International Chamber Music Festival and more locally, repeat concerto invitations with the Bath Phiharmonic. With her Alberni String Quartet Karin has enjoyed collaborations with many internationally renowned artists including Constantin Lifschitz, Leonid Gorokhov, Matthew Souter, Ian Partridge (’On Wenlock Edge’) and Jack Brymer (Mozart’s Clarinet Quintet) to name a few. She has also guest-led many distinguished ensembles and orchestras including the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO), English Sinfonia and Assistant Concertmaster of the Philharmonia.

Karin Leishman’s long experience on the concert platform and her rare abilities as a teacher have attracted violin and viola students from all over the world to study the solo and quartet repertoire with her, many of whom have gone on to enjoy distinguished careers themselves. For a decade Karin Leishman held the position of visiting professor of violin, viola and chamber music at Wells Cathedral School and in that time was uniquely successful in attracting and recruiting international specialist violin students to study with her. Indeed she has been fortunate to have been personally recommended as teacher by the famous violinist and pedagogue Rodney Friend MBE, concertmaster of both the New York Philharmonic and London Philharmonic Orchestras.

Karin and her Alberni colleagues have for many years taught at top-flight international institutions including Cambridge University, the Royal Academy of Music in London succeeding the Amadeus as quartet in residence, Trinity Laban in London, Bristol University, University of Wales, Birmingham Conservatoire, Chetham’s, Purcell School of Music, as well as Wells Cathedral School where they were the first quartet in residence.  Alberni Quartet concert tours have often been combined with education work at all levels in the USA, South America, the Caribbean, Australia, China, Finland and other countries as representatives of the British Council. In 2018 the Alberni Quartet were invited to be quartet in residence at The Two Moors Festival and in 2019, as part of a series of concerts at Bristol University they premiered John Pickard’s sixth string quartet written for them. In 2022 the Alberni Quartet was awarded a special UK Heritage blue plaque to mark their outstanding contribution to culture in Harlow and across the world.

Karin Leishman was made an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music for services to music and has been fortunate in her career to have been loaned several fine violins including a 1727 Antonio Stradivari.

Karin Leishman has performed to the most senior members of the Royal family at Buckingham Palace and Sandringam and to nobility in Germany both in chamber music and solo capacities. Always enjoying musical diversity and variety Karin has played with hugely successful non-classical artists including Snow Patrol with whom she recorded ‘Chasing Cars’, Luther Vandross with whom she toured Europe (including the hit ‘Never Too Much’) and has recorded countless famous film soundtracks at Abbey Road Studios including several Harry Potter films.

Karin Leishman is married to the distinguished violist and Alberni Quartet member Matthew Souter and together they have three grown up children. Karin is a keen artist and is currently working towards an exhibition of her work.

Youtube link to live concerts; Brahms piano quartet, Schubert String Trio:

Brahms piano quartet op 25 Karin Leishman, Matthew Souter, Leonid Gor…
Schubert String Trio Movt in B flat d471 Allegro, Karin Leishman, Matthew …

Wells Cathedral School student and parent testimony extracts:

“The biggest part of my education was without a doubt my private lessons with Karin Leishman. I looked forward to them every single week, and it was not only my own determination to improve, but also respect for my teacher that pushed me to make every lesson better than the last. Having grown up working strictly on foundational skills, Ms. Leishman helped me take the first step to becoming a more musically and characteristically aware artist by provoking me to think about colours, phrasing and tone. It was a huge turning point that made me realise what it meant to be a musician and not just a violinist.”

“I have almost entirely Ms. Leishman and Mr. Souter to thank for everything that made Wells so special to me and it is very important to me to express this as their support affected not only my life during those two years, but still does having moved on from school. I could not have been better prepared for music college and I have been comfortable in all of my performance exams, technical assessments and concerts.”

“I have never improved as quickly in my studies as I did in those two years, and it wouldn’t have been possible without the help of my teacher Ms. Leishman and the support of the head of department Mr. Souter”.

‘I really am thankful for the impact she (Karin Leishman) has had on me and my development on playing the violin and feel honoured to have been one of her students.”

‘My daughter already has her International Baccalaureate and all the qualifications she requires - the only reason she wants to come to Wells Cathedral School is to study specialist violin with you.’ (parent of international student)