PENDERECKI STRING QUARTET
Celebrating their 25th anniversary season, The Penderecki
String Quartet has become one of the most celebrated chamber
ensembles of their generation. Formed at the Szymanowski
Academy of Music in Katowice, Poland in 1986, the group
found quick success as winners of the Penderecki Prize at
the National Chamber Music Competition in Lodz, Poland.
In the same year, they received scholarships to further
their studies as assistants to the Fine Arts Quartet at
the University of Wisconsin. In 1991, the Penderecki Quartet
moved to Waterloo, Ontario to become the Quartet-in-Residence
at Wilfrid Laurier University. Now 20 years later, the Penderecki
Quartet continue as active members of the Faculty of Music
at Laurier and have built the string program to be one of
the top programs in Canada, attracting an international
body of students.
The Quartet's performing schedule takes them annually to
concert stages across the Americas, Europe and Asia. The
four Penderecki musicians (now originating from Poland,
Canada, and USA) bring their varied yet collective experience
to create performances that demonstrate their “remarkable
range of technical excellence and emotional sweep”
(Toronto, Globe and Mail).
Recent concert appearances include New York City’s
Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall, Los Angeles’ REDCAT at
Disney Hall, and Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw. The PSQ
appears extensively in Canada, participating in this country’s
foremost concert series such as the Ottawa Chamber Music
Festival, Festival of the Sound, the Banff Centre, Festival
Vancouver and Music Toronto.
Their 25th anniversary season is a highly active one with
appearances at festivals in Brazil, USA, Spain, Ukraine,
Germany, Poland, China, and guest teaching at the Hong Kong
Academy, Indiana University at Bloomington, and their partner
university in Osnabrück, Germany.
To this day the Quartet is a devoted champion of the music
of our time, having premiered over 100 new works from composers
in Canada and abroad. This anniversary season sees the Quartet
with seven world premieres funded by the Canada Council
and the Ontario Arts Council for composers Glenn Buhr, Michael
Matthews, Piotr Grella-Mozejko, Jeffrey Holmes, Marc Sabat,
Eric Morin, Norbert Palej, as well as the Canadian premiere
of Krzysztof Penderecki’s String Quartet No.3.
The Penderecki Quartet has performed with such eminent
classical artists as Martin Beaver, Atar Arad, Antonio Lysy,
Jeremy Menuhin, James Campbell and excels in exploring new
music collaborators, recently appearing with jazz saxophonist
Jane Bunnett, Cuban pianist Hilario Duran, pipa virtuoso
Ching Wong, Dancetheatre David Earle, actor Colin Fox, and
New York turntable artist DJ Spooky.
Described by Fanfare Magazine as "an ensemble of formidable
power and keen musical sensitivity", the Penderecki
Quartet's large discography includes over 35 recordings
including the chamber music repertoire of Johannes Brahms
on both the Marquis and Eclectra labels, as well as the
premier all-Canadian release of the six Béla Bartók
quartets under the auspices of Chamber Music in Napa Valley.
Their disc of Marjan Mozetich’s “Lament in the
Trampled Garden” won the 2010 JUNO Award for Best
Composition. This season the Quartet releases four new discs
on the Analecta and CMC labels: music of Gustav Mahler,
Oskar Morawetz, Luxury Pond, and Beethoven.
Former members of the Penderecki String Quartet include,
Adam Smyla (1986-?),Zbigniew Szoltysek (?) Piotr Buczek
(1986-1999), Paul Pulford (1990-2003), Yariv Aloni (?),
Dov Schendlin (?), and Simon Fryer (2003-2009).
Visit their website at www.ps4.ca
Video Links:
Robert
Schumann - String Quartet in A Major, Op.41, No.3 - 1. Andante
espressivo: Allego molto moderato
Robert
Schumann - String Quartet in A Major, Op.41, No.3 - 2. Assai
agitato
Robert
Schumann - String Quartet in A Major, Op.41, No.3 - 3. Adagio
molto by
Robert
Schumann - String Quartet in A Major, Op.41, No.3 - 4. Finale:
Allegro molto vivace
Penderecki
String Quartet profile
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