Tuesday, September 7, 2010

We have a quartet winner

Banff Centre competition executive director Barry Shiffman announced that the Cecilia String Quartet (pictured right) from Toronto, Canada has been awarded First Prize in the 2010 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). Following six days of juried concerts focused on classical, Romantic, and contemporary repertoire, the winner was chosen from a group of the world's most accomplished young string quartets.
"With a stunning spirit of creativity that consistently celebrated risk-taking and discovery, the Cecilia Quartet impressed the distinguished jury above all others," says Shiffman. "It was, however, the insatiable appetite that the capacity audience showed for all music-making that has proven again that the future of classical music looks very bright."
The First Prize package includes a prize of $25,000 (CND), an extensive three-year career development program including concert tours in Europe and North America, Banff Centre residencies, including the production of a CD recorded and produced by the Centre's Audio department, and public relations assistance. The prize also includes a quartet of custom bows by renowned bow maker François Malo.
The evening's other award winners include:
Second Prize - Afiara String Quartet (Canada)
Third Prize - Quatuor Zaide (France)
Székely Prize (awarded for the best performance of a Beethoven or Schubert quartet during Round Four) - Afiara String Quartet
Canadian Commission Prize (awarded for the best performance of Canadian composer Ana Sokolovic's Commedia del'Arte, commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation and The Banff Centre for the competition) - Cecilia String Quartet

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