Press Releases
Graffe Quartet Winner of 2008 Czech Chamber Music Society Prize
By rwam, inc.
February 7, 2008
The Czech Chamber Music Society in Prague, under the auspices of the Czech Philharmonic, has named the GRAFFE STRING QUARTET winner of its 2008 Prize for most promising young ensemble. The honor bestowed on the Graffe Quartet, founded in Brno in 1977, is one of the most highly regarded musical awards in Europe.
Last summer the Graffe Quartet was featured at the Skálholt Summer Concert Festival in Iceland, and recorded Piano Quintets by Schumann and Martinù (with Michiko Otaki), which just received the highest rating, "5 Clefs" from the critics of the Czech Radio review program Rondo.
They had a most successful American debut tour last season with Ms. Otaki, performing with great success in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta (Spivey Hall) and elsewhere. The Graffe will tour the USA with Otaki again this fall.
Already during the studies of its members at the Brno Conservatory and at the Music Faculty of the Janaèek Academy of Performing Arts, they won several prizes from international competitions (International Interpretational Competition Beethovenuv Hradec, Czech Republic, 1999; International Chamber Ensemble Competition ACT , London, 2003; International Competition ‚Verfemte Musik‘, Schwerin, Germany, 2005). For their performance of Leos Janacek‘s quartets, they have been twice rewarded by the Leos Janacek Foundation Prize (2001, 2003). In 2005, they were honored by a special prize from the French association Forum Voix Etouffés.
Since the academic studies of the Graffe Quartet members, their artistic growth has been supported e.g. by Prof. Adolf Sykora (The Janacek Quartet) and, recently, also by Prof. Jerry Horner ( the famous Fine Arts Quartet, USA). The quartet participated repeatedly in several international chamber music courses, where they had an opportunity to be tutored by such distinguished artists as Guenter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartett, Vienna), Norbert Brainin and Siegmund Nissel (Amadeus Quartet, London), László Mezö (Bartók Quartet, Budapest), Milan Škampa (Smetanovo kvarteto, Prague) and others.
The Graffe Quartet appeared at hundreds of concerts in their homeland, in many European countries and in the USA. The ensemble‘s recordings have been obtained by several broadcasting companies in Europe and America. At their concerts the ensemble has performed the classical quartet repertoire as well as many world premieres of contemporary Czech and world composers (e.g. M. Štìdroò, M. Slimáèek, W. Schulze, H. Neumann, Páll P. Pálsson etc.).
The Czech Chamber Music Society was founded in 1894 in Prague and is currently presenting its 113th concert season. Among the past winners of the Prize are the Wihan Quartet, Škampa Quartet, and Pavel Haas Quartet.
For further information on the Graffe Quartet, see their website: www.graffequartet.unas.cz or contact Raymond Weiss Artist Management: rwam@rwam.cnc.net
By rwam, inc.
February 7, 2008
The Czech Chamber Music Society in Prague, under the auspices of the Czech Philharmonic, has named the GRAFFE STRING QUARTET winner of its 2008 Prize for most promising young ensemble. The honor bestowed on the Graffe Quartet, founded in Brno in 1977, is one of the most highly regarded musical awards in Europe.
Last summer the Graffe Quartet was featured at the Skálholt Summer Concert Festival in Iceland, and recorded Piano Quintets by Schumann and Martinù (with Michiko Otaki), which just received the highest rating, "5 Clefs" from the critics of the Czech Radio review program Rondo.
They had a most successful American debut tour last season with Ms. Otaki, performing with great success in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Atlanta (Spivey Hall) and elsewhere. The Graffe will tour the USA with Otaki again this fall.
Already during the studies of its members at the Brno Conservatory and at the Music Faculty of the Janaèek Academy of Performing Arts, they won several prizes from international competitions (International Interpretational Competition Beethovenuv Hradec, Czech Republic, 1999; International Chamber Ensemble Competition ACT , London, 2003; International Competition ‚Verfemte Musik‘, Schwerin, Germany, 2005). For their performance of Leos Janacek‘s quartets, they have been twice rewarded by the Leos Janacek Foundation Prize (2001, 2003). In 2005, they were honored by a special prize from the French association Forum Voix Etouffés.
Since the academic studies of the Graffe Quartet members, their artistic growth has been supported e.g. by Prof. Adolf Sykora (The Janacek Quartet) and, recently, also by Prof. Jerry Horner ( the famous Fine Arts Quartet, USA). The quartet participated repeatedly in several international chamber music courses, where they had an opportunity to be tutored by such distinguished artists as Guenter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartett, Vienna), Norbert Brainin and Siegmund Nissel (Amadeus Quartet, London), László Mezö (Bartók Quartet, Budapest), Milan Škampa (Smetanovo kvarteto, Prague) and others.
The Graffe Quartet appeared at hundreds of concerts in their homeland, in many European countries and in the USA. The ensemble‘s recordings have been obtained by several broadcasting companies in Europe and America. At their concerts the ensemble has performed the classical quartet repertoire as well as many world premieres of contemporary Czech and world composers (e.g. M. Štìdroò, M. Slimáèek, W. Schulze, H. Neumann, Páll P. Pálsson etc.).
The Czech Chamber Music Society was founded in 1894 in Prague and is currently presenting its 113th concert season. Among the past winners of the Prize are the Wihan Quartet, Škampa Quartet, and Pavel Haas Quartet.
For further information on the Graffe Quartet, see their website: www.graffequartet.unas.cz or contact Raymond Weiss Artist Management: rwam@rwam.cnc.net
