CONTEMPO STRING QUARTET

ConTempo String Quartet “The ABBA of the classical music” Winners of 14 International Prizes

Bogdan Sofei & Ingrid Nicola – violins, Andreea Banciu – viola & Adrian Mantu – cello

“Polished and professional group … full of exuberance and with a fine sense of ensemble … real sensitivity … exceptional performance” The Strad/ Wigmore Hall

Formed in 1995 when students at the Music University in Bucharest, Romania, the ConTempo String Quartet have toured the wozld extensively and become one of the most celebrated young string quartets performing today. They studied with the most celebrated string quartets of the world, such as Amadeus, Alban Berg , Tokyo, Emerson, Hagen and Quartetto Italiano. 

From 1999 to 2002 the ConTempo Quartet was offered a Fellowship at the Royal Academy of Music in London, where each member coached chamber music groups at undergraduate and postgraduate levels and accomplished their research on Beethoven’s String Quartets Cycle under Siegmund Nisel’s guidance.

In 2003, after an International audition, ConTempo became Galway’s Quartet-in-Residence on the West coast of Ireland, embarking on a unique project sponsored by the National University of Galway, the National TV Channel TG4 & the Arts Council.

ConTempo String Quartet has won a record of 14 International prizes in competitions such as London, Munich, Hamburg, Rome, Graz, Berlin, Bucharest & Prague (1st Prize “GrosserForderpreise” of Konzertgesellschaft München-Germany,1st Prize at Valentino Bucchi competition in Rome-Italy, 1stPrize at Tunnel Trust Competition in London-UK, 1stPrize at Mozart competition in Romania, 2ndPrize at Johannes Brahms International Competition in Hamburg-Germany, Audience Prize and 3rdPrize at London String Quartet Competition in UK, 3rd Prize at Schubert und die Musik der Moderne Competition in Graz-Austria, 3rd Prize at Max Reger Competition in Weimar-Germany, The Wigmore Award) and The Romanian Musical Critics Union Prize in Bucharest.

ConTempo has toured the world extensively, performing at many major International festivals in Europe, Asia and North America.

They performed more than 1400 Chamber Music Recitals in venues and festivals such as: Carnegie Hall in NY, Wigmore Hall, St. John’s Smith Square and St.Martin-in-the-Fields in London, Berliner Philarmoniker, The Waterfront in Belfast, Max Joseph Saal in Munich, Theatre Chatelet and Festival Clasique-au-Vert in Paris, Auditorium in Brussels, Gedai University in Tokyo, Opera House in Tel-Aviv, Haydn Festival in Eisenstadt, King’s Lynn Festival (where ConTempo played with London’s Royal Philarmonic Orchestra Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro), Radio France Festival, Berliner Festwochen, Enescu Festival in Romania, NCH in Dublin, San Marino, Toronto, Madrid, Palazzo Quirignale in Rome, Lisbon, Stockholm Concert Hall, Vatican, Amsterdam, Graz, Beijing, Europa Musicale in Munich, the Atheneum in Bucharest and Belfast Festival at Queens.

ConTempo had the honor to be invited to perform in front of great world personalities such as the late Pope John Paul II at Castel Gandolfo in Italy, for Prince Charles in UK (in London and Highrove) , for Nelson Mandela, former President of South Africa, the EU Ministers, the Nobel Prize winner Seamus Heaney, for the famous Hollywood actors Angelica Houston, Angela Lansbury, Martin Sheen and Merv Griffin and for the Irish President, Michael D Higgins.

Filmmaker Bob Quinn produced a documentary about ConTempo’s residency in Galway, “ConTempo Goes West”, which premiered at the Galway Film Fest.

The quartet has participated in numerous television and radio broadcasts in England (where they recorded quartets by Shostakovich, Debussy, Mozart, Haydn, Beethoven, Bartok & Constantinescu for BBC), France (Radio France Musique and TV Mezzo), Italy (RAI), Austria (ORF), Germany, Romania (TVR) and Ireland (Lyric FM, TG4 & RTE). ConTempo recorded the music for Tom Hanks & Steven Spielberg’s television drama “Band of Brothers”. They composed, arranged and performed the music for the Danish silent film “The Abis” (1910). The quartet also took part in the documentary “Deutschland, Deutschland”, an ORF & Sat3 production about Haydn and Siegmund Nissel’s lives.

Other professional recordings include: Deutsche SchallPlatten, Mozart & Brahms Clarinet Quintets with Ryo Kondo, released in Japan Music of Boydel (quintet for baritone, flute & string trio, quartet n.1 and oboe quintet), Dublin, CMC UNIVERSAL, Music with clarinettist Emma Johnson (Mozart clarinet quintet and Ave Verum), SONY, “Band of Brothers” Soundtrack, Beethoven.

Last year they released a new CD with the famous Irish traditional musicians Mairtin O’Connor & Cathal Hayden (a fusion between Romanian, Irish Traditional and Classical Music) George Crumb’s “Black Angels” Live video recording from Athenuem for TVR.

ConTempo took part in various projects, working closely and recording the music of many contemporary composers such as Jane O’Leary, Alec Roth, Naresh Sohal, Cristopher Fox, Deirdre McKay, Jennifer Walsh, Ian Wilson, John McLachlan, Ed Benet, Rohna Clark, Graine Mulvey, David Flynn, Rob Canning, John Kinsela, Anne Weissman etc.

Collaboration with different artists and musical genres is a very important part of ConTempo’s musical life. So thats why they are very often seen playing early, renaissance or baroque music. They are also keen on jazz music as well as argentinean & brazilian music where they play on either modern or electric instruments.

ConTempo performed alongside well known artists including members of the Amadeus, Vellinger, Arditti, Vanbrugh, Casals, Maggini, Balanescu and Endellion Quartets and Barry Douglas (France/Ireland), Emma Johnson (UK), John O’Conor, Hugh Tinney, Finghin Collins (Ireland), Yuko Inoue (UK),Chen Zimbalista (Israel), Jerome Pernoo (Paris), Peter Donohoe, Martin Roscoe (UK), Gilbert Kalish (USA), Barry Douglas (Ireland), Douglas McNabney(Canada) etc.

They’ve been invited to teach in International solo and Chamber music courses in Ireland (ConTempo Summer School in Galway, Royal Irish Academy of Music in Dublin, Concorda in Kilkenny, Music on the Shannon etc.), in the UK (Royal Academy of Music, Reading School of Music), in Japan (Gedai University of Music, Tokyo) and in Romania ( Sibiu, Brasov and Bucharest). ConTempo took part in various composition workshops held by Dublin Institut of Technology, Royal Irish Academy of Music, Contemporary Music Centre, Association of Irish Composers, Dundalk Institute of Technology, Maynooth University , Galway Arts Festival, Icon Arts & Music University in Romania etc.

GALWAY RESIDENCY

Since 2003, ConTempo have been Quartet in Residence on the West Coast of Ireland embarking on a unique project. Highlights of ConTempo’s residency in Galway include: Attracting internationally known musicians from all genres to Galway and performing collaborative concerts; An annual Summer School, Spring School and Autumn School for young musicians; An education programme in County Galway schools Introducing the classical music to primary and secondary schools (ConTempo visited more than 200 schools); Junior & Senior Leaving Cert Programmes (lectures in over 100 schools); An annual ConTempo Summer Festival, which has featured collaborative artists such as Emma Johnson, Martin Lovett, Bruno Giuranna, Hugh Tinney, John Feeley and Maírtín O’Connor; Contemporary Music Centre Projects (ConTempo worked closely, toured and recorded over 50 new string quartets written by Irish composers); Lectures and modules (on subjects as Music history, Contemporary music, Experimenting new technics, Music and media, Film music, Music and human rights, Music and poetry in Italy, Romanian Trad Music etc.) at NUIG, GMIT, DIT, Gedai Tokyo, Icon Arts Romania etc.; Apprentice Ensembles scheme (national competition for chamber music groups; three ensembles are invited to Galway and offered scholarships to take part in master classes offered by ConTempo for a year); National composition competitions for both students and well known Irish composers (composers are invited to Galway to discuss and work with ConTempo during a three month period followed by a national tour); ConTempo Festival Orchestra; Interacting with musicians from different musical genres (irish traditional, jazz, balkan, Yddish, Klezmer, Tango, electronic etc.); Interacting with other artists (dancers, poets, visual artists, film directors, painters, writers, photographers etc.); Concert series (including Beethoven Cycle, Mozart – Ten Celebrated Quartets, Haydn’s year, Shostakovich & Bartok, George Crumb’s Black Angels).