In 2011, Xander received a Music and Dance scheme Scholarship to study violin and piano at the Junior Royal Northern College of Music. Initially under the tutelage of Ulla Benz, he began learning with Steven Wilkie in 2013, and is currently a student of Maureen Smith, Henk Guittart and Marc Danel.

 

He found early success winning the Rotary International Great Britain and Ireland Young Musician of the year competition, while also becoming a two-time winner of the Caerwys Young Musician of the year. He was awarded the Ian McPherson, Rohi Gazder, and Rotary prizes for performance by the JRNCM, and was a recipient of a Robinson Bursary by the Future Talent Organisation in 2016.

 

In 2017, Xander was awarded the Albert and Eugenie Frost Trust Scholarship to attend the RNCM. He has gone on to perform as a soloist and chamber musician throughout the UK and in Europe, with highlights including a tour of Scotland, performance at Wigmore Hall, recitals in Italy, Switzerland, the Netherlands, and performances of Bruch and Mendelssohn violin concertos, Ravel’s Tzigane, and as a soloist in the Carme Ensemble’s recent performance of Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante.

 

After graduating, he became a Junior Fellow in Chamber Music at the RNCM as a member of the Elmore String Quartet, a position he held for two years. The quartet are delighted to have been appointed as Hans Keller Chamber Fellows at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama.