The Fitzwilliam String Quartet was a British ensemble founded in 1968 by John Philips, Nicholas Dowdling, Alan George, and Ion Davies. The group trained under Sidney Griller at the Royal Academy of Music. The quartet was known for their collaboration with Dmitri Shostakovich, giving the first Western performances of his last three string quartets and recording the first complete cycle of his 15 quartets in the mid-1970s. This recording won a Gramophone Award in 1977. The quartet held residencies at the University of York, the University of Warwick, Bucknell University, and the University of St Andrews. Members included Lucy Russell and George, who served as violist for 56 years before stepping aside in 2024. Their discography included recordings for Decca and Linn Records, and their albums included Haydn: The Seven Last Words of Christ (2000) and Brahms: Clarinet Quintet (2001).
