Airis String Quartet

One of the most interesting ensembles of the young generation in Poland, the Airis String Quartet was formed in 2008 in Cracow. In less than six months of its formation it achieved its first significant success, winning 2nd prize at the International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Cracow. The following years brought many other awards and prizes including the ones at competitions such as the Charles Hennen Competition in the Netherlands (EMCY Prize for Excellent Performance, 2012), the Malta International Music Competition (3rd Prize, 2015), the Katowice International String Quartet Competition (special prize for the best performance of a work by a 20th century composer, 2017) and the Ludwig van Beethoven International Chamber Music Competition in Lusławice (special prize for the best performance of a work by Krzysztof Penderecki, 2017). The quartet has also participated in two scholarship programmes: “Młoda Polska” by the Minister of Culture and National Heritage (2016) and “Artysta-Rezydent” by the Institute of Music and Dance (2015). The Airis String Quartet honed its skills under the guidance of musicians from the Dafô Quartet in Cracow, ArtEZ Conservatorium in Zwolle in the Netherlands in the class of Jeroen Reuling and Sarah Kapustin, at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna in the class of Johannes Meissl, and at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice in the class of Piotr Szumiel, viola player in the Apollon Musagète Quartett. The ensemble was also a member of the European Academy of Chamber Music, and during numerous masterclasses it had the opportunity to work with outstanding artists from such ensembles as: Ysaÿe Quartet, Quatuor Diotima, Alban Berg Quartet, Melos Quartet, Quatuor Danel, Szymanowski Quartet, Silesian Quartet, Royal String Quartet, Apollon Musagète Quartett. The Airis String Quartet performs nationally and internationally. The music of the 20th and 21st centuries has held a special place in its wide and varied repertoire for many years. Composers of the young generation often entrust the quartet with premiere performances of their works. The quartet has collaborated with such artists as Krzysztof Penderecki, Rafał Augustyn, Miłosz Bembinow, Ib Nørholm, Paweł Łukaszewski, Michał Dobrzyński, Łukasz Pieprzyk, as well as with composers of film and computer game music, including Garry Schyman ( Bioshock), Krzysztof A. Janczak (Dans les pas de Marie Curie) and Arkadiusz Reikowski (Kholat, Father and Son).

The ensemble continues to seek new inspirations, often pushing the boundaries of classical music; on the initiative of the Airis String Quartet, several new works have been created as part of the “Collections” programme – priority “Composer Commissions.” Over the past six years, several CDs, film, and game soundtrack recordings featuring the quartets have been released, and 2018 saw the premiere of the quartet’s debut, namely the “Hartmann” album. Members of the Airis String Quartet teach at music schools and the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, introducing younger generations to chamber music and instrumentalism.