Quartetto di Cremona

Fellowship Winner 2005

The Quartetto di Cremona formed in 2000 (from 2002 in its current formation) is already making its mark on the international chamber music scene. Starting at the Stauffer Academy of Salvatore Accardo in Cremona and continuing at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, the Quartetto di Cremona quickly developed and won the applause of the public and critics in the most important halls in Europe and overseas. These include the Wigmore Hall in London, Beethoven Haus in Bonn, Perth Festival and Barge Music in New York. Strad Magazine wrote about their "extremely mature and lyrical sound"; the Australian press defined them as the "glory of the Perth Festival 2004". The last important goal of the Quartet was at the fourth Melbourne Competition, where after hard won selection they won the second prize. This, and their great public reception, resulted in an invitation to partake in a long Australian tour. Other competitions the Quartet have won in the past include first prize with merit at the Vittorio Veneto Competition (the most important Italian competition), first prize in the seventh Cremona International Competition and second prize at the V.Gui International Competition in Florence. The Quartet continues to study and enjoys the mentorship of their beloved teacher Hatto Beyerle of the Alban Berg Quartet. The Quartet participates in the stages of ECMA and ProQuartet. The Quartet has a large repertoire, starting from the first Haydn Quartets and reaching the music of our day, with a particular interest in contemporary Italian composers (for example Vacchi, Berio and Nono and Thomas Olesen). Among future projects the Quartet have a South American and USA tour and many concerts in Europe including the most important Italian venues.