Banff International String Quartet Competition announces 2013 quartets

Banff, Alberta, April 30, 2013 - On August 26, ten of the world’s finest emerging string quartets will arrive in Banff, Canada for the 11th Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). Chosen from dozens of applications from around the world, the preliminary jury selected an international roster of accomplished young musicians. 

The quartets are:  

Anima Quartet (Russia/China)
Attacca Quartet (USA)
Calidore String Quartet (USA/Canada)
Dover Quartet (USA)
Gémeaux Quartett (Switzerland)
Linden String Quartet (USA/Canada)
Navarra Quartet (UK/Ireland/the Netherlands)
Noga Quartet (France/Israel)
Quatuor Cavatine (France)
Schumann Quartett (Germany)  

The ten quartets were chosen by a preliminary jury, including Norman Fischer, formerly of the Concord Quartet and current coordinator of chamber music at the Tanglewood Music Center; Jerzy Kaplanek, violinist for the Penderecki String Quartet; and Roger Tapping, violist and former member of the Takács Quartet. They recently met in Banff to review unedited DVD recordings of set repertoire from each quartet applicant.  

“The ten young quartets share an absolutely exceptional level of artistry,” says competition director Barry Shiffman. “BISQC promises to be a week of music making and celebration that is unique in the world.”  

During the competition, August 26 to September 1, each of the ten quartets will perform a range of repertoire in multiple performances before a dedicated audience of more than 900. Works performed will include repertoire of classical, Romantic, and 20th century music, as well as a new work by Canadian composer Vivian Fung, co-commissioned by Banff Centre and the CBC. Three quartets are chosen on August 31 to perform a work of Beethoven in the final round on Sunday, September 1, which will wrap up with the RBC Awards.  

The RBC Awards, more than $150,000 in cash and prizes, are made possible through generous funding from RBC, through its charitable foundation. The RBC Emerging Artists Project helps young artists bridge the gap from the academic to the professional world. "At RBC, we're thrilled to support the Banff International String Quartet Competition and young string quartet artists building their careers" says Bruce MacKenzie, regional president, Alberta and the Territories. "We are committed to helping the next generation of artists develop their skills and bring their vision to life through the RBC Emerging Artists Project."  

First prize includes $25,000, a quartet of bows made by Canadian bow-maker François Malo, North American and European concert tours, and a creative residency at Banff Centre which includes the production of a professional recording by the Centre’s celebrated Audio Department. This also includes the Esterházy Foundation Prize, a special performance in Haydn Hall at the Esterházy Palace in Eisenstadt, Austria.  

The second prize award is $12,000 and $8,000 for third prize. Other prizes include $2,000 for best performance of the Fung work; the R.S. Williams and Sons Haydn Prize, $3,000 for the best performance of Haydn quartet from Round Two; and the $3,000 Székely Prize for best performance of a Schubert quartet.  

The BISQC competition jury is made up of seven of the world’s top musicians, mentors, and teachers. They include violist Miguel de Silva of the Ysaÿe Quartet; cellist András Fejér, founder of the Takács Quartet; violinist Kikuei Ikeda of the Toyko String Quartet and faculty member at the Yale School of Music; violist Garth Knox, former member of the Arditti String Quartet; violinist Nicholas Kitchen, founder of the Borromeo String Quartet; cellist Richard Lester of the London Haydn Quartet; and violinist Scott St. John of the St. Lawrence String Quartet.