Biography

All Asher has ever wanted since first playing the viola is to become a great violist. Brought up in Edinburgh, Asher won a scholarship to St Mary’s Music School at the age of 14 to study the viola. He had taken up the instrument at the age of 8 and at 12 became a member of the National Children’s Orchestra of Scotland. Asher went on to become a member of every National Youth Orchestra of Scotland and at 15 became a member of the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain.

At the age of 16, Asher was invited to attend the “Ameropa Festival” in Prague with Scottish-born violist Paul Coletti. Subsequently he spent 5 months in America on a scholarship studying with Coletti. Asher is now a student of viola at the Royal Academy of Music. He was invited to Sweden to study with violist Lars Anders Tomter at the “Aurora Music Festival” and has performed in masterclasses with Hartmut Rohde, Roger Benedict and Jerzy Kosmala. By all who hear him play, Asher is considered to be an outstanding young violist with huge potential and a stellar career ahead of him.

How the Award Helped

The Dewar Arts Award will help Asher towards his studies at the Royal Academy of Music.

Since the Award

Shortly after entering the Academy, Asher formed with three fellow students The Karelia String Quartet which won first prize in the Alexander and Buono International String Competition in late 2009. Part of the prize was a recital in the Carnegie Hall, New York City in late 2009. For more information, see www.kareliastringquartet.com.

Asher’s funding has been confirmed for a second year. After a very busy and productive second year, during which Asher with the Karelia String Quartet reached the quarter-finals of the International String Competition in Florence, won second prize in the RAM String Quartet competition and made their London performance debut in a concert at St John’s Smith Square. Asher’s funding is continued into his third year.

After an equally busy and challenging third year, his support has been continued into the fourth and final year.  Asher writes “my time at the Royal Academy of Music has been more wonderful than I could ever have imagined.”