Louise Lansdown

Louise Lansdown is the Assistant Head of Strings (Viola) at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM), Professor of Viola and Chamber Music at the Yehudi Menuhin School (YMS), and Visiting Tutor in Viola at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire (RBC). Her research focuses on Paul Hindemith, with a PhD on his early life and works, and she is writing a book on Hindemith and the viola for Schott. She is the founder of the Cecil Aronowitz International Viola Competition, the British Viola Society, and the BIG Viola Project, which promotes viola education in schools across the UK and beyond. Lansdown is also a key figure in the ARCO project, a distance-learning initiative connecting RBC with South Africa’s Morris Isaacson Centre for Music and India’s KM Music Conservatory. Her work emphasizes cultural exchange, music education, and the promotion of viola repertoire globally.

Education: PhD in Musicology (University of Manchester), MMus (RNCM), BMus (Hons), Dip ABRSM. Her research spans Hindemith’s compositions, viola performance practices, and the role of music in socio-cultural contexts. She has delivered lectures worldwide, performed in Hindemith-themed concerts, and led academic modules on his works.

Scientific Awards: Nominated for Guardian Internationalization Award (2018) and BASA22 Award (2019) for her ARCO project. She is a trustee of the National Youth String Orchestra and Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition.

Notable Projects: The Aronowitz Viola Course (Cornwall), documentary series ‘Cinderella No More: The English Viola Legacy,’ and collaborations with the Ubuntu Ensemble and Mzansi National Philharmonic Orchestra. Lansdown’s work bridges classical music heritage with contemporary innovation, advocating for viola’s role in modern music.