Eleanor Waddington

Eleanor Waddington is an experienced Viola player from Kent based in Manchester. She is in the first year of her master’s degree at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) under the tutelage of Lucy Nolan and Veit Hertenstein. She has a First-Class Mus.B. (Hons) degree from the University of Manchester where she enjoyed playing viola alongside her academics. She frequently played principal Viola in a number of the Manchester University Music Society (MUMS) ensembles. She also performed as part of her degree, for which she was awarded the ‘Procter-Gregg Fund Prize for Best Final-Year Recital’. Her recent achievement is being accepted onto the Professional Experience scheme with Manchester Camerata and the RNCM which she is very excited to get involved with. An interest in contemporary music has given Eleanor opportunities to working with friends and composers throughout her degree and beyond. Regularly exploring contemporary works with composers has allowed her to create new sounds and develop a range of techniques on her instrument. She particularly enjoyed performing as a member of Manchester Contemporary Youth Opera 2019, where she explored movement and character development whilst interacting with other musicians on stage. Alongside ensemble work, Eleanor enjoys performing as a soloist and in chamber music. Since 2019 she has been a member of the Sycamore String Quartet and is more recently a founding member of the Alchemy String Quartet who are looking forward to developing and performing in and around Manchester. She also performed Bruch’s Double Concerto for Clarinet and Viola alongside James Gillett in November 2018 to great acclaim. Over the last year, Eleanor has taken the time in lockdown to be involved in some virtual orchestral projects, as well as expanding her musical knowledge. Eleanor is keen to get back to performing with her friends and colleagues soon. Eleanor’s time at the RNCM is generously supported by the Richard Newitt Fund for which she is most grateful.