Timothy Ridout

Timothy Ridout (born 1995) is a British violist and 1st Prizewinner of the prestigious Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition.

Biography
Ridout studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London with Martin Outram and graduated in 2016 with the Queen's Commendation for Excellence. Ridout completed his master's at the Kronberg Academy with Nobuko Imai in 2019.

In 2016 Ridout won 1st Prize in the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. He was the first British violist to win the first prize since the competition was established in 1980. He made his debut recital at the Wigmore Hall in London in March 2017 with Anthony Hewitt (piano), and also that year released his debut album 'Vieuxtemps – Complete Works for Viola' with Champs Hill Records.

Ridout became a BBC New Generation Artist in 2019, which overlapped with being selected in 2020 by the Bowers Program of the prestigious Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center for a three-season residency (2021 to 2024).

In January 2020, he was the first winner of the inaugural Sir Jeffrey Tate Prize in Hamburg, established by the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra in memory of its last conductor, Jeffrey Tate.

Ridout released his second album, a quartet of orchestrally accompanied pieces, in February 2020, with the Lausanne Chamber Orchestra. In August 2020, Ridout collaborated in a recording of The Carnival of the Animals for the Decca label with the Kanneh-Masons, at Abbey Road Studios. The following August, Ridout performed the work with the Kanneh-Masons at a Family Prom at the Royal Albert Hall.

His third solo album, A Poet's Love, with music by Prokofiev and Schumann arranged for viola (Ridout) and piano (Frank Dupree), released in August 2021, was a Gramophone Magazine Critics' Choice, a Presto Editor's Choice and was nominated in the Chamber Music category at the International Classical Music Awards 2022.

Ridout performed the Walton Viola Concerto at the BBC Proms in August 2021 with the BBC Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Sakari Oramo. Ridout's performance was lauded by The Strad critic, who referred to his encore (Hindemith Viola Sonata, second movement), as the encore of the season.

At the Royal Philharmonic Society (RPS) Awards, held at London's Southbank Centre on 1 March 2023, Ridout received the Young Artists Award.

In May 2023, BBC Music Magazine listed Ridout amongst the twelve greatest violists of all time. The twelve listed, were: Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Carl Stamitz, Lionel Tertis, Rebecca Clarke, Paul Hindemith, William Primrose, Nobuko Imai, Kim Kashkashian, Yuri Bashmet, Tabea Zimmermann, Lawrence Power and Timothy Ridout.

In June 2023, Ridout was made a visiting professor at the Royal Academy of Music in London.

At the Gramophone Classical Music Awards on 4 October 2023, Ridout won the Concerto award for his recording of the Elgar ‘Viola Concerto’ and the Bloch Suite for Viola and Orchestra, with the BBC Symphony Orchestra and Martyn Brabbins.

Ridout was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Music (FRAM) in 2024.

Ridout currently plays a viola by the Brescian violin maker Pellegrino Micheli c.1565–75 on loan from the Beare's International Violin Society. The viola's back length is about 44 cm (~17.3 inches), but the bridge is further up the body than normal, so the playable string length is less and hence more manageable than what would be typical for such a large instrument.

Albums
Debut Album: Vieuxtemps, Complete Works for Viola, Timothy Ridout (viola), Ke Ma (piano). Champs Hill Records. Released 2017

Britten, Vaughan-Williams, Hindemith, Martinu – Music for Viola and Chamber Orchestra, Lausanne Chamber Orchestra, cond. Jamie Phillips. Claves Records. Released Feb. 2020

A Poet's Love – Prokofiev: Romeo & Juliet. Schumann: Dichterliebe. Timothy Ridout (viola), Frank Dupree (piano). Harmonia Mundi, Nova. Released Aug. 2021.

Berlioz, Harold en Italie, Orchestre philharmonique de Strasbourg, conducted by John Nelson. CD Erato 2022

Elgar: Viola Concerto. Bloch: Suite For Viola and Orchestra. Timothy Ridout (viola), BBC Symphony Orchestra, Martyn Brabbins. Harmonia Mundi. Release Date: 13 Jan 2023. (Diapason d’Or)

A Lionel Tertis Celebration: Works by Bowen, Brahms, Bridge, Clarke, Coates, Fauré, Forsyth, Ireland, Kreisler, Mendelssohn, Schumann, Tertis, Vaughan Williams and Wolstenholme. Timothy Ridout (viola), Frank Dupree (piano), James Baillieu (piano). Harmonia Mundi. Released January 2024

Collaborations
Oliver Davis - Liberty, for Violin, Viola, Piano and Strings: Kerenza Peacock (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola) & Huw Watkins (piano). Liberty, Oliver Davis, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, cond. Paul Bateman. Signum Classics. Released 2018.

Tchaikovsky & Borodin - String Quartets No. 2. Julian Steckel, Anna Reszniak, Antje Weithaas, Tanja Tetzlaff, Byol Kang, Barbara Buntrock and Timothy Ridout. Avi Label. Released October 2019.

Gliere, Shostakovich & Hahn - Glière: Octet Op. 5; Hahn, R: Piano Quintet in F sharp minor; Shostakovich: Two pieces for string octet, Op. 11. Hanna Weinmeister, Tanja Tetzlaff, Florian Donderer, Byol Kang, Gergana Gergova, Timothy Ridout and Arturo Pizarro. Avi Label. Released October 2019.

Suk - Piano Quintet in G minor, Op. 8; Things Lived and Dreamt, Op. 30. Kiveli Dorken (piano), Christian Tetzlaff (violin), Florian Donderer (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola), Tanja Tetzlaff (cello). Ars Produktion. Released 2020.

Hindemith - Kammermusik. Kronberg Academy Soloists. Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra, Christoph Eschenbach. Ondine. Released September 2020.

Saint-Saens - Carnival of the Animals. The Kanneh-Masons, with Michael Morpurgo and Olivia Colman. Isata Kanneh-Mason (piano), Braimah Kanneh-Mason (violin), Ayla Sahin (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola), Sheku Kanneh-Mason (cello), Toby Hughes (double bass), Jeneba Kanneh-Mason (piano). DECCA. Released 6 Nov 2020.

French Works for Flute - Franck, Saint‐Saëns, Widor, Duruflé; Adam Walker (flute), James Baillieu (piano), Timothy Ridout (viola). Chandos. Released 2 April 2021.

Schubert - Octet In F Major. Wigmore Soloists. Isabelle van Keulen (violin), Benjamin Gilmore (violin); Timothy Ridout (viola); Kristina Blaumane (cello), Tom Gibbs (double bass), Michael Collins (Clarinet), Robin O’Neill (bassoon), Alberto Menéndez Escribano (French horn). BIS. Released 29 October 2021.

Mendelssohn - The String Quintets. Doric String Quartet, Timothy Ridout (viola). Chandos. Released 25 Feb 2022.

Vaughan Williams - On Wenlock Edge, Four Hymns*, The House of Life. Nicky Spence (tenor), Julius Drake (piano), *Timothy Ridout (viola). Hyperion. Released 1 April 2022.

Berlioz - Harold en Italie (with Les Nuits d’Été). Timothy Ridout (viola), John Nelson conducting the [Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg- Warner (Erato) 2022

Edmund Rubbra - The Jade Mountain, Songs. Claire Barnett-Jones (mezzo-soprano), Iain Burnside (piano), Marcus Farnsworth (baritone), Lucy Crowe (soprano), Timothy Ridout (viola), Catrin Finch (harp). Chandos. Released 3 March 2023.

Mozart - Piano Quartet no.1 in G minor, K478; Piano Quartet no.2 in E flat major, K493. Francesca Dego (violin), Timothy Ridout (viola), Laura van der Heijden (cello), Federico Colli (piano). Chandos. Released 11 August 2023.