The Artists in Residence programme at Stratford has been designed to provide a unique opportunity for musicians and artists to work, experiment and develop their artistry in the company of like-minded people from across a range of disciplines, not just music.

For 2018, we are delighted to welcome the Albion Quartet, whose devotion to the particular significance of the quartet is evidenced not only in their exploration of the social, historical and aesthetic context in which the greatest works were written and performed, but also the expansion of the repertoire into the 21st century. Their residency in 2018 spans 6 concerts, with Tamsin Waley-Cohen performing a seventh as solo recitalist. In addition, the Quartet will be providing opportunities for open rehearsals and Q & A sessions, and they will also be contributing to the Festival’s ground-breaking Portamento Project.

As Painter in Residence, the Festival will be joined for its duration by the Dutch-born artist, Lizet Dingemans. Her atmospheric painting of Klein’s life mask of Beethoven, taken in 1812 when the composer was 42 years old, appears on the home page of the Festival website, and will be available for purchase as a limited edition print during the Festival.

Lizet will also be curating an exhibition of her work at Ragley Hall, as well as delivering masterclasses and a Stratford on Everything talk.

Abigail Parry spent seven years as a toymaker before completing her doctoral thesis on wordplay. Her poems have been set to music, translated into Spanish and Japanese, broadcast on BBC and RTÉ Radio, and widely published in journals and anthologies. She has won a number of prizes and awards for her work, including the Ballymaloe Prize, the Troubadour Prize, and an Eric Gregory Award. Her first collection, Jinx, is published by Bloodaxe in 2018.