Founded in 2007, the VIDA Guitar Quartet brings together four of the UK’s most exceptional guitarists. VIDA has appeared on some of North America’s and Europe's most prestigious stages for classical guitar, including, in the USA, the 2015 Guitar Federation of America Annual Conference, Atlanta’s Spivey Hall, Washington DC's Dumbarton Concerts, the Winter Park (FL) Bach Festival, University of New Orleans, the Long Island Guitar Festival and the Allegro Guitar Series in Dallas, Fort Worth, and Las Vegas. In the UK they have appeared atLondon's Purcell Room and Kingʼs Place, The Sage (Gateshead), Turner Sims (Southampton), and St Georgeʼs (Bristol). 201516 tours bring VIDA to over 20 U.S. cities.
Renowned as educators and for their for innovative outreach, VIDA participated in the world’s largest youth guitar education program (200+ students each summer) in the UK, and were Artists-in- Residence at Cal State University Monterey Bay’s Summer Arts program in 2012.
Following on from their acclaimed début CD, “Love, the Magician,” VIDA released their second CD, “Rhapsody,” in 2013, featuring works by George Gershwin, Malcolm Arnold and Adam Gorb. Their latest CD, released in 2015, is "The Leaves be Green," a CD of works by British composers including Benjamin Britten, Vaughan Williams, Elgar and more.
Christopher Stell, Mark Eden and Mark Ashford play guitars made by Christopher Dean. Amanda Cook’s guitar was made by Bert Kwakkel.
VIDA are D’Addario Strings classical artists.
Vida sparkled with vitality and spontaneity, weaving a rich tapestry of colour and breathtaking range of dynamics and percussive effects that held the audience spellbound . . . the visual interplay between 3 them enhancing an already superb performance. These are outstanding musicians, if you can, go hear them play.” —Acoustic
Magazine ”VIDA conjure up an orchestral palette of colour and effects . . .they play with technical brilliance and precise ensemble, creating alternately smoky and glittering colours in Fallaʼs El amor brujo that suit the gypsy heart of the music so well.” —Classic FM “Their range of timbres and colouration is so broad that one really does forget that there are four identical instruments. Their dynamic control, which ranges from an almost inaudible pianissimo to ranging fortissimos, is impressive.The Vida Guitar Quartetʼs ensemble throughout is exemplary and seemingly achieved with ease . . . their blending of tone is remarkably unified. The recording is well balanced and natural, with a warm tone quality and intimate clarity. This is a thoroughly enjoyable disc.” —International Record Review
“A crossover Fab Four . . . the Vida Guitar Quartet played Sunday’s concert in Miami Shores 50 years to the day from when the Beatles were unveiled to the American public on The Ed Sullivan Show . . . the electrifying Vida Quartet gave them a run for their money . . . The capacity audience took every opportunity to praise the quartet— standing, shouting, and clapping with gusto.” —The South Florida Classical Review