Biography

Jindrich Pazdera, 1st violin
Josef Kekula, 2nd violin
Jan Peruska, viola
Petr Hejný, cello

The Stamic Quartet is one of the Czech Republic’s most famous chamber ensembles. Since their inaugural concert in the Mirror Chapel at the Clementinum in Prague in September 1985, the quartet has enjoyed many successes on both the local and international music scenes. They have recorded almost 70 CDs for Czech and global record labels. The quartet’s members have also been invited to give international master classes in Europe and the USA, and the group has performed more than 2000 concerts.
The ensemble’s success was triggered by their triumph at the international EBU/OIRT competition in Salzburg, Austria in 1986, not long after they were established. Winning this award gave them many opportunities to travel the world and present the Czech quartet tradition to audiences from different musical cultures. Besides Cuba, Morocco, Indonesia, Macao and Taiwan, they have performed in more than 50 countries.
CD recordings and collaborations with Czech TV and radio are an important part of the Stamic Quartet’s activities. Many of their records have been very well received by critics and they have won several noteworthy awards. (This includes twice winning the Grand Prix du Disque de l´Academie Charles Cros and the Diapason d´Or prize from Diapason magazine for their recordings of Antonín Dvořák and Bohuslav Martinů. Their recordings of quartets by Leoš Janáček also came first in a poll conducted by Gramophone magazine)
In recent years, the quartet has recorded two CDs for the EuroArt Praha label featuring the works of Smetana, Janáček, Mozart and Schubert. They have also made a CD recording of “Three String Quartets” by Juan Chrisóstomo de Arriaga.”
One of the ensemble’s other activities involves seeking out and presenting little known pieces or works that have been neglected. Some two years ago, they presented a string and piano quartet by Eugen Suchoň. Last year they made a life recording of works by brothers Pavel and Antonin Wranitzky in Nova Říše. This project will be continued this year both in the same venue and in Prague in cooperation with Czech Radio.
In addition to this they were working for the Supraphon label on recording of string quartets by Josef Bohuslav Foerster to mark the 150th anniversary of the composer’s birth.
The set of two CDs is announced to be released in June 2010.
In recent years, the Stamic Quartet has been linked with the EuroArt Praha Festival where they are the official ensemble in residence and often collaborate with foreign artists. They are also associated with the Stamic Music Festival in Havlíčkův Brod, where they perform every year and pay homage to the birthplace and name of their renowned patron Jan Václav Stamic.
In early 2010 the quartet was giving concerts in Japan and Switzerland, planning to be in Hungary Velencei Festival in this summer.