Once upon a time...
...in 2009, the Zoffany Ensemble was born. A piano quartet inspired by the elegance of Johann Zoffany's paintings, and in particular his portrait of the celebrated cellist Giacobbe Cervetto, pictured with his son James and Zoffany himself.
In those first months, as the idea of the ensemble was still taking shape, I longed to anchor our new name to the very place that had once been Zoffany’s own.
One day, at low tide whilst walking along the pebbles of the River Thames at Kew, it struck me that this was the perfect place for a photo shoot. The idea took shape as I passed the house marked with a blue plaque, once home to Zoffany himself.
On a whim, I slipped a handwritten note into the letterbox, introducing our ensemble and confessing that we hoped to photograph ourselves there. I even added a hopeful line: that it would be a delight to meet the owners, should they, by chance, be fellow lovers of music.
To my astonishment, a gentleman soon appeared, a dog trotting cheerfully at his side. He introduced himself with the kindest of manners, and, together with his wife, welcomed us with extraordinary warmth. Before long we were seated in their beautifully restored home, coffee in hand, listening to stories of the many lives and generations that had passed through those same rooms.
During the course of our conversation, I asked whether they might know of opportunities for us to perform in the historic houses that lined the Thames. That simple question opened a door to a journey beyond anything we had imagined. From that day forward, music carried us into some of the most enchanting riverside homes, where walls steeped in history seemed to breathe again as we played.
Mr. and Mrs. Colvill, together with their dear neighbours, Mr. and Mrs. Korner, became devoted friends and generous patrons of the ensemble. Their encouragement shaped our path, entwining our music ever more deeply with the legacy of Johann Zoffany.
The Strad
'...fine playing from violinist Manon Derome and cellist Anthony Pleeth... it had the feeling of music-making among friends'
We were honoured, too, to perform at St. Anne’s Church in Kew, where Zoffany himself rests in the churchyard. He died at his home in Strand-on-the-Green on November 11, 1810, and to play in the place where he was laid to rest felt like the closing of a circle—a tribute to the painter whose spirit had inspired us from the very beginning.
Over time, the ensemble has grown beyond its original form. No longer only a piano quartet, we have become a flexible ensemble : a core string group, joined at times by piano or wind, exploring the richness of larger-scale works.
And so, from a single letter slipped quietly into a letterbox, a story unfolded - of music and friendship, of riverside houses and painted legacies, of lives and notes woven together along the Thames.