Atrium Quartet (AtriumQ), Quartet

Biography

The Atrium String Quartet is the first quartet from Russia to win the two most important international competitions for string quartets. They first rose to international prominence in April 2003 when they won the First Prize and the Audience Prize in the London International String Quartet Competition held at the prestigious Wigmore Hall.  This led to their debut on BBC Radio 3 and a debut recording for EMI Classics.  In 2007, at the 5th International String Quartet Competition in Bordeaux, France, the Atrium String Quartet was awarded the Premier Grand Prix and the Prix MMSG.

The Quartet was founded in 2000 in the St Petersburg Conservatoire under the inspiration of Professor Joseph Levinson, cellist of the celebrated Taneyev Quartet. They received coaching from members of the Alban Berg Quartet, the Vermeer Quartet, and the Danel Quartet. Important steps of Atrium Quartet's development were second prizes at international competitions in Moscow (2001), Cremona (2002) and Weimar (2002). As a result of their success in the Weimar competition, the Atrium recorded quartets of Shostakovich and Debussy for MDR in Leipzig.

Since winning the London International String Quartet Competition, their international career has blossomed with recitals at the Beethoven Festival, Schwetzingen Festival, Aix-en-Provence Festival and Orlando Festival. Concert tours have taken them to Germany, Italy, France, Denmark, Spain, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.  From February 2006 to March 2007, the Atrium Quartet was resident at the Dutch String Quartet Academy.   The Atrium Quartet currently resides in Berlin.

In the 2007-2008 season, the Atrium Quartet released a new CD of Beethoven and Shostakovich in France. The Quartet appeared in major festivals in Germany (Schleswig-Holstein, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern), Switzerland (Davos), France and the UK. In 2009 they make their debut US tour, including concerts in Washington, New York and Chicago.