Shelly Art - The Carducci String Quartet

AUDIO

BIOGRAPHY

Matthew Denton - violin
Michelle Fleming - violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin - viola
Emma Denton - cello

Prize winners in no less than 7 International Chamber Music Competitions in the space of 5 years, the Carducci Quartet has quickly become recognised as one of Europe's top young string quartets. Prizes include 1st prize at the 2004 Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition in Finland, and other major awards at the Bordeaux, London, Osaka and 'Charles Hennen' competitions. Most recently, they were winners of the Concert Artists Guild International Competition in New York.

Graduates of the top music conservatoires in Britain and Ireland, they have studied with members of the Amadeus, Chilingirian, Takacs and Vanbrugh quartets and are the current Richard Carne Junior Fellows at Trinity College of Music. As part of the ProQuartet professional training programme in France they have studied with Gyorgy Kurtag, Valentin Erben of the Alban Berg Quartet and Paul Katz.

Following on from their critically acclaimed 2006 Purcell Room and Wigmore Hall debuts for the Park Lane Group, the quartet have been invited to perform at numerous contemporary music festivals and societies, including The "Second Glance" Festival in London, and the Cheltenham Contemporary Music Society.

They recently established their own record label 'Carducci Classics', launched with a CD of Haydn String Quartets. A further three discs featuring C20th works by G. Whettam, J. Horovitz and B. Boydell will follow by the end of the year. The Carduccis have also recorded (Vivaldi and Piazzolla) with the Katona Twins Guitar Duo for Channel Classics.

Tours abroad have taken the quartet to France, Germany, Greece, Ireland, Belgium, Spain and Italy, where after performing numerous concerts at the Castagnetto-Carducci Festival, the quartet adopted the name “Carducci” with the blessing of the Mayor.
Highlights last season included a residency at Aldeburgh, the launch of their own festival in Highnam (Gloucestershire) and performances in the Verbier, Kilkenny, Three Choirs, Exeter and Kings Lynn festivals. Future projects include their Carnegie Hall debut, further performances at the Wigmore Hall and tours in Portugal and Japan.

The quartet's educational work continues with performances for school children sponsored by the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust and West Cork Music. They also run their own music courses in France for young musicians and have a strong link with the Gloucester Academy of Music. They were recently appointed 'Quartet-in-Residence' at the Cork School of Music in Ireland.

DISCOGRAPHY

	Joseph Horovitz - Fantasia and Quartets Fantasia on a Theme of Couperin String - Quartet No.4 Quartet for Oboe and Strings - String Quartet No.5
	Graham Whettam - Quartets String Quartet no.1 - Oboe Quartet no.2 - String Quartet no.4
	Vivaldi Double Concerto RV532 - Trio Sonata in C major, RV82 Concerto in D major RV 93 - Trio Sonata in B minor, RV 8 Concerto in C major, RV425
	Haydn - String Quartets Haydn quartets, op.50 no.6 'Frog', op.20 no.4, and op.76 no.2 'Fifths'.
	A Piazzolla: Le Grand Tango Peter & Zoltán Katona, guitars; Alfredo Marcucci, bandoneón Carducci String Quartet, Daniel Storer, double-bass

REVIEWS

"The excellent Carducci String Quartet..."
The Sunday Times

"They have the gift of imparting enthusiasm to the audience, so essential for good chamber music performances."
Musical Opinion

"..The programme began with a stylish account of Haydn's Quartet op.20/4, full of life and energy....the sonority was attractively warm and rich with lots of subtle dovetailing. The ensemble was also superbly coordinated in the minuet and trio and bristling finale...."
Malcolm Miller, Ensemble

"Although I have heard many performances and by distinguished quartets, I have never heard a finer one than the Carducci's"
Graham Whettam (String Quartet No.1)

"What an outstanding achievement to get inside the skin of three such different masterpieces and play them all to perfection. Judging by this performance it ranks among the finest I have heard in Pitville Pump Room in the past 30 years"
Ronald Kay, Gloucestershire Echo

"All four members have a great musical and technical gift. It is a beautifully balanced quartet"
Sigmund Nissel, Amadeus Quartet

"..the Quartet's musicianship, technical ability and maturity provided the perfect platform to mark the association's celebrations."
Review of Mid Argyll Arts Association 21st anniversary concert in 2004