Miró Quartet—an Austin, Texas-based string quartet whose moniker was inspired by the highly imaginative works of Spanish surrealist, Joan Miró—is one of America’s highest-profile chamber groups. Now in their 20th year, Miró Quartet is constantly praised for their deeply musical interpretations, exciting performances, and thoughtful programming. Each season, Miró Quartet performs throughout the world on the most important chamber music series and on the most prestigious concert stages, garnering accolades from critics and audiences alike.
Miró’s concert highlights of recent seasons include a highly anticipated and sold out return to Carnegie Hall to perform Beethoven’s complete Opus 59 Quartets (which they also recorded) as well as the Saratoga Performing Arts Center as part of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s inaugural residency; the world premiere of a new concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Kevin Puts; the performances of the complete Beethoven Cycle at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival and Tokyo’s Suntory Hall; and debuts last season in Seoul Korea, Singapore, and the Hong Kong International Chamber Music Festival.
During its 2015-2016 season, the Quartet will return to New York City’s Chamber Society of Lincoln Center performing Beethoven in Alice Tully Hall and the complete cycle of Ginastera quartets at the Rose Studio; the Quartet also returns to perform at its birthplace, the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. With concerts in Philadelphia, Phoenix, and throughout Florida, Texas and the Midwest, this busy season also includes a complete Late Schubert Quartet Cycle for the prestigious Slee Series in Buffalo, New York.
A favorite of summer chamber music festivals, Miró Quartet has recently performed at the Orcas Island Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Chamber Music Northwest, Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and Music@Menlo. Miró Quartet regularly collaborates with pianist Jon Kimura Parker, percussionist Colin Currie, and mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke.
Formed in 1995, Miró Quartet took first prize at several national and international competitions including Banff International String Quartet Competition and Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. Deeply committed to music education, members of the quartet have given master classes at universities and conservatories throughout the world. Since 2003, Miró Quartet has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. In 2005, Miró Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant.
September 2015 will see the quartet’s 20th Anniversary and the release of their Emmy-award winning, multi-media project, Transcendence. A work with visual and audio appeal available by live stream, CD, and Blu-ray, Transcendence encompasses philanthropy, documentary filmmaking, and Miró’s riveting performance of Franz Schubert’s “Quartet in G major” on rare Stradivarius instruments, while encouraging classical music enjoyment for all. For more information, please visit www.miroquartet.com.