Exceptional People: Meet Rowena Calvert, Shrewsbury Bangkok Riverside’s Head of Strings

article Exceptional People Riverside Music SHR Article

Rowena Calvert is an international award-winning cellist known around the world for her exceptional capabilities and, here at Shrewsbury, for her graceful melodies, magnetic spirit and groundbreaking contributions. Over her four years teaching within the Riverside Music Department, Rowena has taught a variety of classes, including Cello, String Quartets, the Year 3/4 Orchestral Programme and Camerata Orchestra.

Rowena’s passion for music was sparked at just five years old when her father brought home a broken eighth-size cello that needed restoring. “He spent two weeks in his workshop making it shiny and beautiful, and when it was finished, he told me to go and look under the piano where he had put it for me,” Rowena said. “I made horrible noises on it for hours that day but couldn’t stop playing.” 

Throughout adolescence, her passion for playing only grew stronger, leading her to receive a strong music education at the Yehudi Menuhin School in the United Kingdom and the Royal Academy of Music, London. Once she finished school, she began to teach privately and embarked on her professional career as a cellist.

Rowena has always been an active soloist, session musician and orchestral player. In 2008, she founded the Cavaleri String Quartet, with which she toured extensively in South America, New Zealand, Australia, Japan and across Europe, giving live radio broadcasts in each country. Over the years, they were awarded many prestigious titles, including first prize at the 2011 Royal Overseas League Competition in London, the ‘Special Prize’ at the 2011 Premio Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in Italy, first prize at the 2012 Hamburg International Chamber Music Competition in Germany and second prize at the 2014 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan. The group also recorded several CDs, each met with great critical acclaim – coinciding with their reputation as one of Europe’s ‘leading string quartets’ (Belfast, 2015). 

Throughout her professional career, Rowena has collaborated with many reputable artists and dancers, such as Carlos Acosta, a retired dancer and current Ballet Director of the Birmingham Royal Ballet. She has worked with distinguished musicians such as Paul McCartney, Shirley Bassey and most recently, Billie Eilish at the Brit Awards. Impressively, she toured as part of the band for Hans Zimmer, as well as Nigel Kennedy. She is also a regular recording artist at Abbey Road, where she has helped to record soundtracks for blockbuster films such as Mission Impossible and Wonder Woman. Her recording for the silent short film ‘Sailcloth’, starring John Hurt, was shortlisted for an Oscar and a 2012 Academy Award. 

Throughout her career, she has performed on some of the world’s most renowned stages, including the Royal Albert Hall, BBC Radio 3, Classic FM Hall of Fame, the Wigmore Hall, the Queen’s Hall and the Royal Festival Hall. She regularly performs as a freelance musician at the annual BBC Proms, a remarkable feat. 

Currently, Rowena is working with violinist Rhys Watkins on the musical project R2, a violin and cello duo that uses music to heighten global awareness and make a difference in the world. Through charity concerts, the pair help raise money for organisations dedicated to meaningful causes, from saving endangered species in Asia to cleaning the world’s oceans of plastic. 

Rowena’s vibrant career has contributed significantly to the Shrewsbury Riverside Music Department, where she encourages students to foster their talents through positivity, dedication and perseverance. Her love for teaching came from her own experiences as a student:

“I have been fortunate to have had some magnificent teachers in my formative years who were excellent at explaining how the mechanics of cello playing worked. Once this is broken down by multiple people over the years you start to realise you too are equipped to help people play the cello,” Rowena said. “It’s extremely rewarding giving someone the advice they need and witnessing the ‘aha!’ moment when they can finally do it too.”

One of her proudest accomplishments was when a Shrewsbury Riverside student was awarded the highest mark in Thailand for his Grade 8 and when he won the Thailand International String Award.

She particularly enjoys teaching the Chamber Music Programme, where she invites as many students as she can to play in a string quartet. She also helped to start the Year 3 Orchestral Programme, a significant milestone for the school.

 “Without this injection of young musicians once a year, you cannot guarantee that you will always have young Shrewsbury musicians to partake in solo, chamber or orchestral concerts as they progress through the school,” Rowena said. 

Whether in the classroom or on the stage, Rowena’s approach to teaching is both thoughtful and realistic, as she is entirely aware of the factors it takes to become a well-rounded musician.

“Personally, every musician must know how to play in a group, how to prepare their part, how to respect their peers, to always be on time, to bring a positive attitude to the rehearsals, and to happily go the extra mile when it’s needed,” she said. 

As an educator, she encourages her students to gain first-hand experience with people in the field of their choice in order to better prepare them for their professional careers. For example,  later this term, the Head of Strings from the Royal Welsh College of Music and Drama, UK, will come and talk to young Shrewsbury musicians about all that is available in their chosen musical subject when they leave school. Learning from seasoned musicians gives students valuable insight into the musical world beyond the walls of our school and better prepares them for their lives after graduation.

The Shrewsbury Music Department is unique for many reasons, including its provision of multiple ensembles for every instrument and genre, symphony orchestra concerts that prepare major orchestral works and the new Year 3 Orchestral programme that Rowena helped to create. However, most significantly, it is the exceptional teachers across all instruments that make it special, with Rowena Calvert a shining example. From starting new programmes to helping students cultivate their talents and pursue their passions, she instils in them not only the virtuosity needed to win remarkable awards and accolades but also the life skills that will carry them forward well into the future and ensure their well-rounded development as unique, confident and capable musicians. 

 “Learning an instrument is one thing, but the skills you need whilst preparing and performing in a group are true life skills,” Rowena said. “…this generation of young musicians will then hopefully become the performers that fill the orchestras and stages of the world that ultimately keep music alive.”