The Center for Gifted Young Musicians
at Temple Music Prep
Master class series
with assistance from the Philadelphia chamber music society
presents Vertavo Quartet
Vertavo WILL BE WORKING WITH STUDENTS IN THE
CENTER FOR GIFTED YOUNG MUSICIANS DURING THE CLASS.
Vertavo Quartet is internationally recognised as one of the most masterful string quartets playing today. Since four very young teenagers got together in Norway in 1984, Vertavo’s performances - now rich in maturity and of the most captivating sound quality - delight audiences wherever they play.
Now at the cusp of 40 years on since their formation, Vertavo are most probably the world’s longest performing all-female string quartet. Øyvor, Berit and Bjørg are all founder members and Annabelle has been with the quartet for the past 12 years. ‘Assiduous work, solid cohesion and the urge to tell a story in music – this is our holy trinity,’ says violist Berit Cardas.
Vertavo play at all the major concert venues in the world. They have toured throughout Europe, Scandinavia and the US and are invited to participate in some of the most prestigious festivals and at the greatest chamber music venues such as the Wigmore Hall in London, Concertgebouw in Amsterdam and Carnegie Hall in New York.
As well as excelling in the core string quartet repertoire, Vertavo have a visceral and compelling affinity with contemporary music, which has led them to give commanding performances of works by Ligeti, Adès, Widmann, Gabriela Frank, Kaja Saariaho, Sofia Gubaidulina, Judith Weir and many others besides. They gave critically acclaimed first performances of the latest string quartet by Poul Ruders at the Barbican Hall and the Aldeburgh Festival.
Vertavo have collaborated with many of the world’s finest musicians such as Leif Ove Andsnes, Håkan Hardenberger, Martin Fröst, Isabelle van Keulen and Lawrence Power. To great critical acclaim, they undertook a quintet tour with the world-famous British pianist Paul Lewis and also opened the prestigious Proms Chamber Music season at Cadogan Hall in London with him. In September 2023, together with Paul Lewis, they played a live lunchtime concert from the Wigmore Hall for BBC Radio 3.
The quartet’s discography includes Beethoven, Schumann, Brahms, Grieg, Debussy, Bartok, Nielsen, Asheim, as well as the Mozart Clarinet Quintet with Martin Fröst. Their Debussy and Grieg String Quartets recording received the Diapason d’Or. Their most recent recording of Verdi and Sibelius Quartets was released in 2020. For this recording, Vertavo was nominated for Germany’s 2021 OPUS Klassik Ensemble of the Year.
In 2005, the quartet received the Grieg-Prize: the most significant Norwegian cultural prize, bestowed on artists of the highest international standing. Ten years previously they won First Prize at the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition where they were also awarded the Audience Prize and the Critics’ Prize.
Vertavo Quartet started its own international chamber music festival, Vertavofestivalen, in Norway in 2016. This gives them the chance to devise programmes featuring their world-class colleagues, delving deep into the wider chamber music repertoire.
Recent BBC broadcasts included Dvorak’s American String Quartet and Bartok’s 5th and 6th String Quartets as part of LSO St. Luke’s Bartok Plus series and a broadcast from the Royal Conservatoire Scotland of Grieg and Smetana String Quartets.
In celebration of their 35-year anniversary, Vertavo Quartet curated a project called Absolutt Haydn! Together with 15 other string quartets, including the Attaca Quartet, they performed all of Haydn’s string quartets at Sentralen in Oslo in 28 hours. It was a unique experience, and a worthy celebration of an ensemble, who embody values of excellence, dedication and generosity.
