Biography
The Penderecki String Quartet, approaching the second decade of an extraordinary career, has become one of the most celebrated chamber ensembles in the music world. The Quartet's performing schedule takes them annually to the great concert stages of North and South America, Europe, and the Far East.
During the 1997/1998 season, The Penderecki String Quartet's engagements include concerts in New York (at Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall and the 92nd Street "Y"), Boston, New Haven (Yale University), Los Angeles, Santa Barbara, Montreal, Vancouver and Toronto. Their European schedule includes repeat performances at the prestigious Krakow Festival in Poland.
The Penderecki String Quartet has collaborated with eminent ensembles such as The Borodin Trio and The Fine Arts Quartet as well as with artists such as Vladimir Feltsman, James Campbell, Lev Natochenny, Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, and Janina Fialkowska.
The Penderecki String Quartet was founded in Poland in 1986 at the urging of pre-eminent Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki. The fruit of their association includes the authoritative interpretation of Penderecki's Complete Works for String Quartet on CD (United Records, England). To this day the Quartet is a devoted champion of the music of our time, and has commissioned new quartets from Brian Cherney, L.C. Smith, John Oswald, and Randolph Peters.
The Penderecki String Quartet's recording of the Brahms Piano Quintet with Pianist Lev Natochenny (Marquis, Canada) has been acclaimed worldwide. The Quartet's ongoing collaboration with the Russian virtuoso includes a recent release of Piano Quintets by Shostakovich and Schnittke (Marquis, Canada). A live broadcast by London's BBC inspired the recording Polska (United, England), featuring the quartet. The quartet has also recorded Randolph Peters' Tango from Smoked Lizard Lips (Nam, Canada) and the Quartets No.3 by Shostakovich and Britten (Marquis, Canada)
The Penderecki String Quartet devotes much of its time to Quartetfest, a non-profit organization that produces a Festival of String Quartets in Waterloo, Ontario. The Festival combines week-long performances in Waterloo and St. Jacobs, Ontario with a month-long seminar in quartet playing for students of all ages and backgrounds.
The Penderecki String Quartet's involvement in education is a year-round commitment as they enter their seventh year as Quartet-in-Residence at Waterloo's Wilfrid Laurier University. Under the Quartet's direction, the string program has become one of Canada's most prestigious. The Quartet offers chamber music and studio instruction to students from all over the world.
For more information about The Penderecki String Quartet, please visit their website at https://ps4.ca
