Biography
Aestus Quartet
Please click to learn about each member
Christopher Karwacinski – Violin II
Since their formation at the Royal Northern College of Music (RNCM) in 2021, the Aestus Quartet have been recognised for their warmth and sensitive musical approach. The name “Aestus” is Latin for sea tide and is inspired by the opening of Benjamin Britten’s String Quartet No. 2 – the first piece the group performed together.
They are recipients of the RNCM Weil Prize, and were semi-finalists in the 2025 Royal Over-seas league competition. They have previously been finalists in the Christopher Rowland Ensemble of the Year, Hirsch and Nossek Prizes. They are currently studying with Quatuor Ébène violinist Gabriel Le Magadure, on a monthly basis, at the Conservatoire Rachmaninoff in Paris.
In the 2023-2024 season, the Aestus were the RNCM Studio Quartet and Britten Pears Young Artists. They gave the closing performance of the 2024 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards in collaboration with Instrumentalist of the Year winner, Jasdeep Singh Degun and tabla player Harkiret Singh Bahra. The Aestus have performed at Festival Ravel (France), Pergolesi Spontini Festival (Italy), Winchester Chamber Music Festival, Oxford Chamber Music Festival, Manchester Chamber Concerts Society, Southwell Music Festival, and Britten Pears Chamber Futures, among others.
In 2025 the Aestus performed at the Aldeburgh Festival in a masterclass with the Doric String Quartet. They also featured as a resident ensemble in the Lake District Music Festival, and made an appearance at the King’s Lynn Festival. In the upcoming seasons they will feature at Tickhill Music Society, Clitheroe Concert Society, Bollington Chamber Concerts, Blackburn Concert Society, Norwich Chapel Concerts, Enys Festival, and Music at Wesley. They will continue their ChamberStudios mentorship with Krysia Osostowicz and will complete a ChamberStudios residency with Donald Grant.
The Aestus share a core ethos for forging connections on a human level. Through their vast experience working with children, young adults, and people with disabilities (including special educational needs and dementia) they are inspired to create a welcoming environment for all. The group enjoy developing and delivering interactive presentations in educational settings and have worked in primary, secondary, and care environments. This work has been carried out independently as well as in conjunction with organisations such as the Lake District Music Festival, Winchester Chamber Music Festival and the Festival Ravel. They are developing a new approach to typical concert formats with an aim to encourage new creativity and to ensure everyone can be involved. Their creative programming involves designing narratives that are illustrated with classical, contemporary, and folk music. They aim to amplify previously unheard voices and hope everyone will be able to see a bit of themselves in the stories they tell.
The diversity and depth of each member’s individual experiences shape their approach and identity as an ensemble. Leda is Italian, teaches Dalcroze Eurhythmics, violin, singing, and improvisation with the Junior RNCM department, and is one of five selected Manchester Camerata Ruth Sutton Fellows for 2024-2025. Chris is British, enjoys freelancing with many of Manchester’s professional orchestras and is enrolled in the Hallé Advanced Orchestral Strings Programme 2024-2025. He has represented Great Britain internationally at Kata championships, as well as sitting Principal Tuba of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain, and Solo Eb of championship brass band, Redbridge Brass. Beth is British and has vast teaching experience with RNCM Young Strings and the Music in Secondary Schools Trust in Manchester, she is formally trained in classical ballet, and enjoys freelancing with many professional orchestras across the UK. Clara is Canadian-American and enjoys performing concertos as well as teaching privately. She is also part of the Manchester Camerata Ruth Sutton Fellows 2024-2025 cohort.