After performing and experiencing rather demanding concerts, both the musicians and the audience deserve a special treat. A unique orchestra, never before assembled and probably never to appear again, will conclude the three-year project that has presented Antonín Dvořák’s complete works for string quartet. While the first-class Pavel Haas Quartet was responsible for curating the project and has taken part in presenting it, its members will now act as the section leaders of a string orchestra consisting of players from all of the participating ensembles. The Dover, Cremona, Bennewitz, Zemlinsky, and Sedláček string quartets are among the top ensembles in this country and around the world. For the concluding concert, musicians from each of these individual groups will join together to perform some of their favourite compositions. Souvenir of Florence by Dvořák’s friend Tchaikovsky will be followed by Mendelssohn’s Octet, a work played by chamber musicians the world over. Antonín Dvořák’s Serenade for Strings will bring the Chamber Series to a close with a series of sunlit “songs without words”, a pure combination of musical genius with unrestrained joy.

Since its formation in 2000, the Quartetto di Cremona has established a reputation as one of the most exciting chamber ensembles on the international stage. Regularly invited to perform at major music festivals and in halls in Europe, North and South America, and the Far East, they garner universal acclaim for their high level of interpretive artistry.

Highlights of recent and upcoming seasons performances at Wigmore Hall (London), at the Concertgebouw (Amsterdam), at the Elbphilharmonie (Hamburg), at the Konzerthaus in Berlin, at the Brucknerhaus (Linz), at the Rudolfinum (Prague), in Geneva, Stockholm, Schwarzenberg, Kuhmo, Mumbai, Taipei, Beijing, and for the Fundación Juan March in Madrid, Chamber Music Society of the Lincoln Center in New York. North American tours are regularly planned twice a year, with the Carnegie Hall debut scheduled for October 2023 as well as a re-invitation from the CMS in March 2024 at the Lincoln Center.

The Quartet has also collaborated with numerous artists such as Eckart Runge, Till Fellner, Pablo Barragan, Kit Armstrong, Miguel da Silva, David Orlowsky, the Emerson String Quartet, and the Pavel Haas Quartet.

On the discographic side, a new CD will soon be released with the ensemble’s own version of The Art of Fugue, performed with seven instruments so as not to alter the original writing of Bach's score.

Previous recordings include: “Italian Postcards” (2020, Avie Records); a double CD dedicated to Schubert (2019, Audite); and the complete Beethoven String Quartets (20128, Audite). All of them were received with great interest by international critics, as well as winning discographic prizes.

Frequently invited to present masterclasses in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the members of the quartet have been professors at the Walter Stauffer Academy in Cremona since 2011.

Winners in 2019 of the “Franco Buitoni Award” by BBT for their constant contribution to the promotion of chamber music in Italy and around the world, they are ambassadors for the international project “Friends of Stradivari” and honorary citizens of Cremona. They also endorse “Le Dimore del Quartetto” and Thomastik Infield Strings.

source: Quartetto di Cremona

Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time GRAMMY-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. The Dover Quartet is the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music and holds additional residencies at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and the Walton Arts Center’s Artosphere festival. The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its honors include the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award.

The Dover Quartet’s 2023-24 season includes a North American tour with Leif Ove Andsnes, performances with Haochen Zhang and David Shifrin. A sought-after ensemble, recent collaborators include Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnaton, Ray Chen, the Escher String Quartet, Bridget Kibbey, Anthony McGill, Edgar Meyer, the Pavel Haas Quartet, Roomful of Teeth, and Davóne Tines. In 2022, the quartet premiered Steven Mackey’s theatrical-musical work Memoir, alongside arx duo and actor-narrator Natalie Christa. They also recently premiered works by Mason Bates, Marc Neikrug, and Chris Rogerson.

The Dover Quartet’s highly acclaimed three-volume recording, Beethoven Complete String Quartets (Cedille Records), was hailed as “meticulously balanced, technically clean-as-a-whistle and intonationally immaculate” (The Strad). The quartet’s discography also includes Encores (Brooklyn Classical), a recording of 10 popular movements from the string quartet repertoire; The Schumann Quartets (Azica Records), which was nominated for a GRAMMY for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance; Voices of Defiance: 1943, 1944, 1945 (Cedille Records); and an all-Mozart debut recording (Cedille Records), featuring the late Michael Tree — long-time violist of the Guarneri Quartet. Voices of Defiance, which explores works written during World War II by Viktor Ullman, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Simon Laks, was lauded as “undoubtedly one of the most compelling discs released this year” (The Wall Street Journal).

The Dover Quartet draws from the lineage of the distinguished Guarneri, Cleveland, and Vermeer quartets. Its members studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, the New England Conservatory, and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. They were mentored extensively by Shmuel Ashkenasi, James Dunham, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Michael Tree, and Peter Wiley. The Dover Quartet was formed at Curtis in 2008; its name pays tribute to Dover Beach by fellow Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber.

The Dover Quartet’s faculty residency at Curtis integrates teaching and mentorship, a robust international performance career, and a cutting-edge digital presence. The innovative residency allows Curtis to reinvigorate its tradition of maintaining a top-quality professional string quartet on its faculty, while providing resources for the ensemble to experiment with new technologies and engage audiences digitally. Working closely with students in the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program, the Dover Quartet coaches and mentors the most promising young string quartets to nurture a new generation of leading professional chamber ensembles.

The Dover Quartet plays on the following instruments and proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings:

• Joel Link: a very fine Peter Guarneri of Mantua, 1710–15, on generous loan from Irene R. Miller through the Beare’s International Violin Society

• Bryan Lee: Riccardo Antoniazzi, Milan, 1904; Samuel Zygmuntowicz, Brooklyn, 2020

• Julianne Lee: Robert Brode, 2005

• Camden Shaw: Joseph Hill, London, 1770

source: Konzertdirektion Andrea Hampl

The Pavel Haas Quartet stands as one of the world’s premier chamber ensembles, commanding the most prestigious concert stages globally. Its recordings have earned it five Gramophone Awards, along with a multitude of other significant accolades. In 2022, BBC Music Magazine ranked the ensemble among the top 10 greatest string quartets of all time.

The Quartet’s performances regularly grace revered venues such as Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam, NCPA in Beijing, the Philharmonie and Konzerthaus in Berlin, Queen's Hall in Edinburgh, Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Wigmore Hall in London, Philharmonie in Luxembourg, Carnegie Hall in New York, Théâtre de la Ville in Paris, Accademia di Santa Cecilia in Rome, LG Arts Centre in Seoul, Musikverein in Vienna, and Tonhalle in Zürich, etc.

In the 2024/2025 concert season, the Pavel Haas Quartet will once again return to illustrious Carnegie Hall and London’s Wigmore Hall. The ensemble will embark on a European tour during the first half of the season, visiting Austria, Germany, Belgium, and the United Kingdom. It will close out 2024 with a tour across the United States. Audiences in the Czech Republic can look forward to several performances at the Dvořák Prague Festival, where the Quartet has served as an artist-in-residence and curator of chamber concerts since September 2022, including a three-season exploration of Dvořák’s string quartets and chamber works.

The Pavel Haas Quartet records exclusively for Supraphon. Its most recent album, *Brahms Viola and Piano Quintets* (2022), featuring Boris Giltburg and former member Pavel Nikl, met with widespread acclaim. The Quartet’s prior release, *Shostakovich String Quartets* (2019), garnered the Recording of the Year prize at the Classic Prague Awards, and The Times hailed it as one of the 100 best recordings of the year.

The ensemble has received five Gramophone Awards for its recordings of Dvořák, Smetana, Schubert, Janáček, and Haas as well as for Dvořák’s String Quartets No. 12 “American” and No. 13, which also took the 2011 Gramophone Recording of the Year award. Additional honours include a BBC Music Magazine Award and the 2010 Diapason d’Or de l’Année for the ensemble’s recording of Prokofiev’s String Quartets No. 1 and No. 2.

A victory at the Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy in 2005 marked the first milestone of the Pavel Haas Quartet’s career. A nomination for ECHO Rising Stars in 2007 followed, along with participation in the BBC New Generation Artists program from 2007-2009, and a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Special Ensemble Scholarship in 2010.

The Pavel Haas Quartet was founded in 2002 by Veronika Jarůšková, and violist Pavel Nikl, who remained a member until 2016 and who continues to be a frequent guest performer at string quintet concerts. The ensemble’s members studied under the legendary violist Milan Škampa of the Smetana Quartet. The Quartet takes its name from the Czech composer Pavel Haas (1899–1944), Janáček’s most promising pupil, who was imprisoned by the Nazis in the Terezín ghetto in 1941 and tortured to death three years later in the Auschwitz concentration camp. His musical legacy includes three exquisite string quartets.

source: artevisio

member of Pavel Haas Quartet

member of Pavel Haas Quartet

The Bennewitz Quartet is one of the top international chamber ensembles, a status confirmed not only by their victories in two prestigious competitions – Osaka in 2005 and Prémio Paolo Borciani, Italy in 2008, but also by the critical acclaim it receives. As early as 2006, the German Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung wrote: “... the music was remarkable not just for its clarity of structure, but for the beautiful tonal palette and purity of intonation in its execution. Only very rarely does one experience such skilfully crafted and powerful harmonies... Great art.” The ensemble has received various awards on the Czech music scene as well. In 2004, the quartet was awarded The Prize of the Czech Chamber Music Society, and in 2019, the four musicians won the Classic Prague Award for the Best Chamber Music Performance of the year.

The quartet currently performs at major venues both in the Czech Republic and abroad (Wigmore Hall London, Musikverein Wien, Konzerthaus Berlin, Théâtre des Champs-Elysées Paris, The Frick Collection New York, Seoul Art Center, Rudolfinum, and others), and is regularly invited to festivals such as the Salzburger Festspiele, Luzerne Festival, Rheingau Musik Festival, Kammermusikfest Lockenhaus, and Prague Spring. The group has had the privilege of working with various outstanding artists: Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Alexander Melnikov, Vadim Gluzman, Isabel Charisius, Pietro de Maria, Reto Bieri, Danjulo Ishizaka, and others.

The Bennewitz Quartet especially enjoys playing and performing on the Czech domestic music scene. Particular highlights have included their cooperation with the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra and its conductor Jiří Bělohlávek for a performance of Bohuslav Martinů’s Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra. The group has made a recording of both quartets by Leoš Janáček for Czech Television in the unique space of Villa Tugendhat in Brno. Czech Radio regularly records major concerts performed by the quartet.

The members of the quartet place a lot of emphasis on the inspiring and sometimes challenging choice of their concert repertoire. In 2012 and 2015, the ensemble performed in one evening the complete set of Bartók’s six string quartets in Maggio Musicale Fiorentino and in Swedish Upsala. In 2014, the four presented a premiere of The Songs of Immigrants by Slavomír Hořínka in Konzerthaus Berlin. In 2019, the quartet added a new CD to its discography featuring the music of the persecuted Jewish composers H. Krása, V. Ullmann, E. Schulhoff and P. Haas under the Supraphon label.

In the 2023/24 season, the Bennewitz Quartet will return to a number of European venues (Stuttgart, Mannheim, Heidelberg, Linz, Bilbao) and will make their debuts in Klagenfurt, Darmstadt, and Duisburg. The quartet will again perform in the United States and Canada, and will continue its various concert projects in the Czech Republic, including its collaboration on an integral performance of Dvořák's string quartets as part of the Dvořák Festival Prague. The ensemble is currently preparing to release a new CD featuring string quartets by "those who used to play together" - Haydn, Mozart, Vaňhal and Dittersdorf.

Since 1998, the quartet has borne the name of the violinist and director of a music conservatory in Prague, Antonín Bennewitz (1833–1926), who greatly contributed to the establishment of the Czech violin school. The most significant musicians who can be counted among his disciples are Otakar Ševčík and František Ondříček, and above all Karel Hoffman, Josef Suk, and Oskar Nedbal who, under Bennewitz’s influence, formed the famous Bohemian Quartet.

source: www.bennewitzquartet.com

The origins of the Sedlacek Quartet date back to 2007, at the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague (AMU), following the tradition of the original Sedlacek Quartet in Pilsen (1974–1994), as a family musical ensemble. They continued to develop under the tutelage of many reputable music teachers, such as Jiří Panocha, during their chamber music studies at the AMU. Later, they also took several masterclasses led by members of several renowned string quartets, such as the Keller Quartet, the Artis Quartet Wien, the Tel Aviv Quartet, and the Alban Berg Quartet.

The Sedlacek Quartet has appeared at renowned festivals both in the Czech Republic and abroad, including the isa – International Summer Academy, the International Music Festival Young Prague, the Ludwig von Beethoven Festival Teplice, the Pablo Casals Festival in Prades, and others. The ensemble is the winner of the Czech Chamber Music Society Award (2016), and also won prizes in the Karol Szymanowski International Music Competition in Katowice and the Bohuslav Martinů Music Competition in Prague, both in 2014. They later claimed 3rd prize in the Leoš Janáček and Johannes Brahms International Music Competition.

However, the hallmark of the Sedlacek Quartet is their focus on music which is not a part of any standard chamber music repertoire. This especially includes Czech works (along with other international composers) that were either never published, or rarely performed, so in this way the ensemble makes many unknown compositions come to life. They have already made recordings of K. Slavický, S. Hořínka, B. Martinů, and J. Teml with the support of the Bohuslav Martinů Foundation. With oboist Lukáš Pavlíček, they have also recorded music by F. A. Míča, W. A. Mozart, and A. Dvořák. In 2017, they recorded the complete string quartet works by V. J. Veit (1806-1864). In 2019, they followed with a CD of three of Rafael Kubelík’s (1914-1996) string quartets, which they self-published. Their most recent impressive recording project was the completion of all the string quartets by K. B. Jirák (1891-1972), this time for Czech Radio.

From 2022 to 2024, the ensemble is taking part in the performing of Antonín Dvořák's complete string quartets at the Dvořák Prague Festival.

source: Sedlacek Quartet

Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much-lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition. The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005) and London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was the recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include Beethoven International Competition (1999), New Talent Bratislava (2003), Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the season 2016/17, the Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.

The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, the USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, the Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut at the Schneider/New School Concerts Series. Their vast repertoire contains more than 350 works ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák to works by contemporary composers. The Zemlinsky Quartet often cooperates with other renowned Czech and foreign artists (N. Mndoyants, F. Klieser, J. Brown, M. Collins, K. Zehnder, M. Kasík, I. Kahánek, M. Kaňka, K. Untermüller, the Pražák Quartet, the Prague Chamber Ballet, and others). The ensemble also regularly records for Czech Radio. The members of the quartet are also individual prize winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, the Beethoven International Competition, the Kocian International Competition).

Between 2007 and 2018, the Zemlinsky Quartet recorded exclusively under the French record label Praga Digitals. Their first 4-CD set of Dvořák’s early works for string quartet received the coveted French award, “Diapason d´Or“ prize in March 2007. In 2014, the Zemlinsky Quartet became only the fourth quartet in history to record the complete string quartets by Antonín Dvořák. Other Praga Digitals releases include all the string quartets and early chamber music of Alexander Zemlinsky, a 4-CD set of Schubert’s early quartets, a rare disc of Spanish music for strings, the famous quartets by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, five Mendelssohn-Bartholdy string quartets, works by A. Glazunov, and a relatively unknown but excellent piano quintet by M. Weinberg (in cooperation with the young Russian pianist Nikita Mndoyants). The ensemble has produced two CDs in cooperation with the Pražák Quartet (Mendelssohn-Bartholdy, Strauss, Brahms, Martinů). In cooperation with the Kocian Quartet, the ensemble has recorded the complete string quartets by Czech contemporary composer V. Kalabis. Many recordings of the Zemlinsky Quartet have received universal critical acclaim in various publications such as The Strad, Gramophone, Diapason, and Fanfare magazines.

While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also took part in several master classes including ProQuartet, in France and Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria, where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, violist of the Pražák Quartet.

Between 2006-2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet were Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at Musik-Akademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of all ages. They also perform educational concerts for students. František Souček and Petr Holman were recently appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.

The Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871–1942), whose enormous contribution to Czech, German and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) are part of the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.

source: zemlinskyquartet.cz

Petr Ries, a double bass player, graduated from the P. J. Vejvanovsky Conservatory in Kroměříž. During his studies at the conservatory, he also studied conducting and composition. In 2003/2004 he participated in a study stay at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Dance in Paris in a class taught by Professor Jean-Paul Celea. He completed his studies at the Music Faculty of the Academy of Music, Drama and Fine Arts in Prague, where he studied under the guidance of Professor Jiří Hudec.

He has won prizes in various competitions, e.g. Competition of Conservatories Teplice (1996, 1st prize), F.Gregora International Competition Kroměříž (1997, 1st prize), the Moravian Autumn International Competition (1998, 2nd prize), Internationale Musikwettbewerb Markneukirchen (1999 7th prize), Internationale J.M. Sperger Musikwettbewerb Michaelstein (2002, 2nd prize), the Moravian Autumn International Competition (2003, 2nd prize) and in the Talent of the Year 2002 Competition Prague, where he played Sergei Koussevitzky’s Concerto in F minor, together with the Czech Radio Symphony Orchestra. It was broadcast live by the Czech Radio.

In 2003, he earned a post in the Symphony Orchestra of the Czech Radio in an open audition. Half a year later, he became Co-Principal double bass player in the Czech Philharmonic.

Petr Ries also performs as a soloist. He regualarly gives solo recitals and has been accompained by several Czech and foreign orchestras. As a chamber performer, he has cooperated with the Baborak Ensemble, the Pavel Haas Quartet, the Bennewitz Quartet, the Zemlinsky Quartet, the Martinů Quartet, the Kocián Quartet, the Belfiato Quintet, the PhilHarmonia Octet, etc.

He is currently a member of the Prague Chamber Soloist and the Haydn ensemble Prague.

He has been a lecturer at the Masterclass in Litomyšl since 2003 and at the Summer Academy in Kroměříž since 2021. He was a professor at the International Conservatory of Music in Prague from 2009 to 2015.

Source: www.petrries.cz

Adam Honzírek has been the principal double bass player of the Czech Philharmonic since 2019 and has appeared with the orchestra at many important concert halls around the world including London’s Royal Albert Hall, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie, and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall. He has performed alongside such leading Czech and foreign artists as Semyon Bychkov, Sir Simon Rattle, Alain Altinoglu, Jakub Hrůša, Yuja Wang, Gautier Capuçon, Josef Špaček, and Jan Martiník.

He also devotes himself to playing solo and chamber music written for the lowest-pitched string instrument, and he does not neglect contemporary compositions (see his collaborations with the Berg Orchestra, Czech Radio, and the composer Ondřej Štochl on one of the projects Music for Sirens). He graduated from the double bass studio of Pavel Klečka at the Jan Deyl Conservatoire in Prague, and he is now studying at the Academy of Performing Arts under the guidance of Radomír Žalud.

source: Adam Honzírek

The Rudolfinum is one of the most important Neo-Renaissance edifices in the Czech Republic. In its conception as a multi-purpose cultural centre it was quite unique in Europe at the time of its construction. Based on a joint design by two outstanding Czech architects, Josef Zítek and Josef Schultz, a magnificent building was erected serving for concerts, as a gallery, and as a museum. The grand opening on 7 February 1885 was attended by Crown Prince Rudolph of Austria, in whose honour the structure was named. In 1896 the very first concert of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra took place in the Rudolfinum's main concert hall, under the baton of the composer Antonín Dvořák whose name was later bestowed on the hall.