Australian violin virtuoso Madeleine Easton will play at the coronation of King Charles III at Westminster Abbey in London.
“I feel completely honoured and a bit starstruck, I just keep pinching myself thinking, how could this have happened? How can little me be going to such an incredible event?” she told AAP.“But strange and amazing things do happen.”
Easton will play her rare 1682 Giovanni Grancino violin with the English Baroque Soloists and Monteverdi Choir at the event on May 6 - news she has had to keep under wraps for several months.
The star violinist has played at Westminster Abbey many times and even Buckingham Palace and expects the occasion will come with strict security protocols.
King Charles is a well-known classical music lover and the royal patron of the Monteverdi Choir and orchestra, the Royal College of Music, the Philharmonia Orchestra and the English Chamber Orchestra.
Probably the first monarch to be such an enthusiast since King George II in the 18th century, it is expected King Charles will champion classical music during his reign.
“Classical music is so much a part of him and his soul at a really very deep level,” Easton said.
She will perform pieces by J.S. Bach and Anton Bruckner as people enter the abbey, conducted by her mentor Sir John Eliot Gardiner, who is a friend of the king.
Easton has been working with the famous conductor and Bach expert since 2003 and has played on many of his recordings.
Sir John’s country property in Dorset neighbours the king’s Highgrove House in Gloucestershire, and the two share an enthusiasm for organic farming and animal breeding.
“So many times on tour, John Eliot would say, ‘Oh yes, Charles and I swapped breeding cattle the other day ... we got together, had a glass of wine and swapped the cattle’,” Easton said.
She says she is “super proud” to be representing Australia at the coronation.
“Regardless of whether you’re a monarchist or not, Australia is part of the Commonwealth, and it’s important the Commonwealth is represented at this occasion,” Easton said.
Easton is the founder of the Bach Akademie Australia, which launches its Sydney season in late March with a performance of Bach’s Missa Brevis in F.
