Vera Martínez Mehner
violin
Abel Tomàs
violin
Jonathan Brown
viola
Arnau Tomàs
cello
Cuarteto Casals was founded in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofia in Madrid under Professor Antonello Farulli and has quickly become recognized as one of Europe's most distinguished string quartets. This Spanish ensemble has garnered extensive critical acclaim and has won top prizes at many international competitions, including First Prizes at the 2000 London and the 2002 Johannes Brahms International String Quartet Competitions. In 2005, the ensemble was honoured with the prize of the City of Barcelona, in 2006 received the National Music Award - the highest distinction for musicians in Spain, and in 2008 was chosen for the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust scholarship in England. Upcoming and recent activities include performances and tours in the most important venues of Europe, the United States, South America, Russia and Japan. Cuarteto Casals records exclusively for Harmonia Mundi, which recently released its sixth album, featuring the complete string quartets Opus 33 of Joseph Haydn. The quartet has worked with important composers in Europe today, premiering works by Jordi Cervelló, David del Puerto and Jesús Rueda of Spain, collaborating with James MacMillan of Scotland, and György Kurtág of Hungary, and at the composer's request, recording Christian Lauba's quartet Morphing. Cuarteto Casals has performed quintets with renowned musicians including Elizabeth Leonskaja, Oleg Maisenberg, Claudio Martinez Mehner, Christophe Coin, Thomas Riebl, and Michael Collins. Cuarteto Casals is currently in residence at the leading conservatory in Barcelona, and has been profoundly influenced by intensive studies with Professors Walter Levin and Rainer Schmidt, as well as by graduate work in Cologne under the Alban Berg Quartet and Harald Schoneweg.
Photograph taken by Felix Broede