Following our highly successful Wigmore recital together, we are delighted to be joining forces with the Sacconi Quartet for a nationwide tour. From January to March 2009 we will be participating in an 'Around the Country' tour as part of the 'Music in the Round' series where we can be heard in venues such as The Sage Gateshead, the Wiltshire Music Centre, Portsmouth Cathedral, Warwick, Dartington, Halifax, Scarborough, Stoke on Trent and Brighton.

For more information please visit http://www.musicintheround.co.uk/content/?contentid=107 and to see some sample footage visit http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=V5sY05lXdVU

Navarra Quartet to record their debut CD with Altara Records ::: January 2009

Thanks to generous support from the Borletti Buitoni Trust, we will soon be recording Haydn's 'Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross' with Altara Records. Included will be a short film documenting our collaboration with the Australian artist Jamie Boyd. A project we are all passionate about, the CD will be launched on the 31st of May at our performance in the Manchester Haydn Festival and a second launch will take place in London on the 26th of June following our performance in the City of London Festival.

Navarra Quartet to return to Australia for a Musica Viva Tour in November 2009 ::: December 2008

We are very excited to have been invited back to Australia! We will be joined by the pianist Alexander Boyd to play in a series of coffee concerts in cities including Sydney and regional centres as part of Musica Viva’s CountryWide Series and the prestigious Huntington Estate Music Festival alongside acclaimed international and Australian artists including cellist Li-Wei, tenor Andrew Goodwin and members of the Goldner String Quartet.

Navarra Quartet become part of Wigmore Hall's Chamber Challenge Programme ::: November 2008

This month we had great fun visiting several schools in the UK as part of the Wigmore Hall's chamber challenge programme. Wigmore Hall promotes one of the most diverse and innovative Community and Education programmes in the capital, providing opportunities for people of all ages, backgrounds and abilities to join in with chamber music and song as listeners, performers, composers and music makers. Inspired by the Hall's rich artistic programme, outreach activities include partnerships and project with hospitals, schools and other community groups. The concert programme is enhanced through pre-concert talks, seminars, schools' workshops and concerts, family concerts and activities and training opportunities for young professional musicians. For further details about Wigmore Hall Community and Education contact Ursula Crickmay at education@wigmore-hall.org.uk.

Navarra Quartet to be Quartet in Residence at Verbier Festival ::: March 2008

The Verbier Festival and Academy take place every summer in the Swiss resort of Verbier and attracts thousands of music-lovers from all over the globe to see some of the world's greatest musicians perform together in solo, orchestral and chamber music concerts. We look forward to working with the wonderful violinist and conductor Gábor Tackas-Nagy, who we will work with later in the year to prepare for our forthcoming recording of Haydn's Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross. To read about our experiences in Verbier, visit the Borletti Buitoni Trust website: http://www.bbtrust.com/blog/hard-work-in-verbier/#more-211

The famous choreographer Wayne McGregor (resident choreographer of the Royal Ballet, Covent Garden) has invited us to play the live music to his work 'Entity': a diptych of contrasting works performed by ten dancers. The world premiere will be at Sadler's Wells, London on April 10, 11 and 12. Audio/video samples, photos and reviews can be found on the Random Dance Company website: www.randomdance.org

We have commissioned nine paintings by renowned Australian artist Jamie Boyd to accompany each of the movements of Haydn's 'Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross'. Jamie Boyd's sensitivity to colour, light, form and arrangement make his work individual in its composition and universal in its appeal. He is a master colourist intermingling vibrant images and shadowy figures on his canvases. We project each of the images onto a large screen behind us during performance to add an extra contemplative element to an already deeply spiritual work. It's a project we are particularly proud of and hope to do many more times in the future!

Jamie Boyd: http://www.boydart.com/

Navarra Quartet win MIDEM Outstanding Young Artist Award in Cannes ::: January 2008

The Outstanding Young Artist Award is one of the principle awards at the MIDEM Classique Awards, presented by the MIDEM / IAMA partnership each year in Cannes during the MIDEM international media trade show. The award aims to introduce the as yet unsigned recording stars of the future to the Classical recording industry, and is central to the Young International Performers (YIP) programme run by IAMA for not-for-profit organisations who nurture young musicians at the beginnings of their careers.

Not-for-profit organisations which form part of the IAMA YIP programme may nominate a number of their young artists for the award. An international jury of IAMA members listens to unedited recordings of each artist, and selects the finalists. The 19-strong MIDEM Classique Awards Jury, an international panel mainly consisting of specialist music magazine and radio journalists, then listens to the finalists, and votes for the winner, who then performs at the awards ceremony in Cannes. IAMA is represented on the MIDEM Classique Awards Jury by Board member, Christian May.

As part of their prize, the Navarra Quartet will give concerts in Budapest, Essen, Leipzig, Warsaw, Luxembourg and Ljubjlana.

The 5th Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition was held in Melbourne from 7 July to 15 July 2007. Held every four years, the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition is one of the most highly regarded competitions and is renowned around the world for its integrity and high standard of performance. Every performance in the competition was broadcasted live on abc classic fm. The competitors were judged by a top international jury chaired by Australia's Julian Burnside QC. The jury included Wu Han USA (piano), Eckart Heiligers Germany (piano), Caroline Henbest Australia (viola), Laurence Lesser USA (cello), István Párkányi Netherlands (violin), Alexander Pavlovsky Israel (violin), Lesley Robertson Canada (viola) and Julian Smiles Australia (cello). William Lyne CBE AM, Director Emeritus, Wigmore Hall was in attendance acting as Chamber Music Australia's International Artistic Advisor.

Navarra Quartet win Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship ::: February 2007

The Navarra Quartet is delighted to have received a 2007 Borletti-Buitoni Fellowship. The fellowship is tailored specifically to meet the individual requirements of the chosen artist or ensemble. It provides the selected artists with support over a two-to-three year period. The Trust considers candidates in their early twenties and beyond and expects them to have made some significant headway with their careers. They may be instrumentalists, singers or chamber groups, and they may already have an agent representing them. In addition to quality of performance, the Trust will be looking for artists with "something to say", who might also have some chamber music experience. Within the parameters set, the selected musicians will be expected to enter into dialogue with the Trust as to how they feel they can most effectively be supported. The Trust is unable to accept applications from artists directly. No direct approach may be made to any of the trustees or members of the artistic committee. Annual nominations will be drawn up solely on the basis of recommendations received from those approached by the Trust.

Navarra Quartet selected for Melbourne Competition ::: December 2006

After a dvd audition round and a live audition, the Navarra Quartet have been selected to participate in the finals of the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition. The 5th International Competition will be held in Melbourne from 7 July to 15 July 2007. It will be judged by a top international jury and chaired by Australia's Julian Burnside QC. William Lyne CBE AM, Director Emeritus, Wigmore Hall, will be present acting as Chamber Music Australia's international artistic advisor. The competition is staged in Melbourne every four years for piano trios and string quartets and is one of the richest classical music competitions in the world. The groups compete for substantial cash prizes and a series of worldwide concert engagements.

Concerts coming soon... ::: July 2006

Concerts coming soon in the Navarra Quartet's 2006 schedule include the Mozart Festival in Lincoln, their Wigmore, Bridgewater and Purcell debuts, the RNCM Slav Festival and Schubert Quintet performances with 'cellist Richard Harwood. Keep up with the latest dates on the Concerts page.

Navarra Quartet selected by YCAT ::: May 2006

On Friday, 19 May, 2006, The Navarra Quartet were selected for representation by YCAT at the Public Final Auditions held at the Wigmore Hall. The last String Quartet to be selected by YCAT was the Belcea Quartet in 1997.

A total of eight finalists were heard, chosen from over 100 applicants in the preliminary rounds. The jury was chaired by Sue MacGregor CBE (Broadcaster and Chairman of YCAT) and included Chris Craker (Head of Classics, Sony/BMG), Rosemary Gent (Artistic Administrator, BBC Proms), John Gilhooly (Director, Wigmore Hall), Martin Lovett (Amadeus Quartet), William Lyne (Emeritus Director, Wigmore Hall) and Sir Brian McMaster (Director, Edinburgh Festival).

All newly selected artists can be heard on Monday, 25 September, 2006 at 7.45 pm at the Purcell Room, supported by the Musicians Benevolent Fund and at Bridgewater Hall in Manchester on Wednesday 15 November 2006 supported by The Manchester Mid-Day Concerts Society.

Navarra Quartet win in Florence ::: December 2005

At the end of November, The Navarra Quartet became the unanimous winners of the International Chamber Music Competition 'Vittorio Gui' in Florence. No second prize was awarded. 30 groups including duos, trios and quartets from 24 different countries entered the competition.

Past prize winners include the Belcea, Casals and Peterson Quartets and the Gould Piano Trio.

In the first round, they played Mozart B flat KV589 and Wolf's 'Italian Serenade'. Beethoven Op.132 and Shostakovich 3rd Quartet were their repertoire choices for the second round. The final saw the Quartet performing Haydn 64/6 and Shostakovich 3rd Quartet.

A winners concert took place where they performed Shostakovich 3 live for an Italian Radio 3 (Rai Tre) broadcast.

In addition to a prize of 12,000 Euros, the Quartet will benefit from a series of concerts throughout Italy - in Florence, Pisa, Perugia, for example.

Exciting time ahead ::: November 2005

Concerts coming soon in the Navarra Quartet's 2006 schedule include the RNCM Shostakovich Festival, Schubert Quintet performances with 'cellist Richard Harwood and, in February, the Quartet will begin a residency at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh. Keep up with the latest dates on the Concerts page.

New Website ::: November 2005

The Navarra Quartet have gone online with their new website! They hope you enjoy your visit. Come back often for updates. In the very near future, visitors will be able to download a video of the Quartet in performance. So you'll able to both hear and watch them!