Competitors from Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition
Friday 04 April 2025
1:00 pm - 2:00 pm
The 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition is the 16th edition of this prestigious Competition, and a celebration of the art of the string quartet, which this year features eleven quartets from Canada, France, Germany, Japan, Norway, Switzerland and the USA. One of the competing quartets, the Katarina String Quartet will perform at today’s lunchtime concert with repertoire drawn from their Preliminary Round recitals:
Judith Weir String Quartet No. 2, ‘The Spaniard’
Commissioned by Wigmore Hall and Britten Pears Arts for the Leonkoro Quartet
Bartók String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7, Sz. 40, BB 52
This programme brings together two strikingly different yet equally captivating string quartets, each bursting with character and spirit. Judith Weir’s String Quartet No. 2, ‘The Spaniard’ is full of storytelling charm, weaving vibrant musical textures with a playful, almost theatrical energy. In contrast, Bartók’s String Quartet No.1 takes listeners on an emotional journey, from brooding introspection to fiery intensity, brimming with folk-infused rhythms and lyrical beauty.
Katarina String Quartet
Jeanel Liang (Canada) violin
Jérôme Chiasson (Canada) violin
Celia Morin (Canada) viola
Maya Enstad (USA) cello
Formed in 2022 at McGill University under the tutelage of André Roy, the Katarina String Quartet (KSQ) has quickly emerged as one of North America’s leading young string quartets. Currently serving as the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School, the KSQ has worked extensively with members of the Alban Berg, Pacifica, Danel, and Juilliard string quartets. The quartet most recently participated in the Dover Quartet Workshop and the Robert Mann String Quartet Institute; in 2023, the quartet attended IMS Prussia Cove and the McGill International String Quartet Academy (MISQA). The KSQ won the Gold Medal and the BIPOC Composer Prize at the 2024 St. Paul Chamber Music Competition; the quartet was also First Prize prize winner at the 2023 Canadian Music Competition. The KSQ takes its name from Katarina Guarneri, who scholars believe completed many of her husband, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesù’s, violins. Inspired by Katarina, the KSQ celebrates that behind the canonized figureheads of classical music, there are countless people and communities that contribute to the art we enjoy. The ensemble is featured regularly at central classical music societies in Montreal and regularly performs in community centres in New York City.
Dates, Times & Book
| Fri 04 Apr | 1:00 PM | £10 | Book |
Share this event
Other things to do
Ian Zhao and Joachim Lim (cello and piano)
A lunchtime concert of Fauré, Bach and Shostakovich.
Matteo Cimatti and Roksana Dabkowska (violin and piano)
This programme highlights the diverse and evocative voices of four extraordinary composers, celebrating the expressive possibilities of the violin and piano.
Nikita Lukinov (piano): Enchanted Dances
Discover the charm of Prokofiev’s Cinderella, the dark enchantment of Mussorgsky’s Night on Bald Mountain, and the radiant beauty of Tchaikovsky’s Sleeping Beauty.
Darbar: Jyotsna Srikanth and Abhiram Sahathevan (violin and mridangam)
Experience the vibrant sounds of South Indian classical music with a lunchtime concert featuring virtuoso violinist Jyotsna Srikanth and mridangam player Abhiram Sahathevan.
Far to Wander: Discoveries by Copland, Eisler and Robert Kahn
Join Florian Störtz, baritone, Aleksandra Myslek for an intimate recital centred around the evocative art songs of Robert Kahn, some forgotten gemstones of the genre which the artists have recorded on disc for the first time.
