One of the moast interesting Polish string quartets of young generation

Izabella Szalaj-Zimak, Elwira Przybylowska, Marek Czech, Michal Pepol

Established in 1998 in Warsaw Academy of Music, Royal String Quartet was coached by the members of Wilanow and Camerata Quartets. In 2001 the Quartet began their postgraduate studies in Hochschule fuer Musik in Cologne, working with the world famous Alban Berg Quartett. During many master courses, the ensamble worked also with musicians from the Amadeus, Guarneri and Chilingirian Quartets, with prof. Eberhardt Feltz and Avi Avramovich.

Currently RSQ is part of BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme and will become Wigmore Hall’s Quartet-in-Residence in 2006.

In 2004 the ensamble performed for Queen Elizabeth II during the official visit of Polish President Aleksander Kwasniewski in May, organised their own festival “Kwartesencja” in Warsaw in September (which was chosen by the “Warsaw and Culture” magazine a Cultural Event of the Year) and made their Wigmore Hall debut in December.

The Quartet’s awards include prizes at the international string quartets competitions in Banff, Canada (2004), Kuhmo, Finland (2004), Cracow, Poland (2003) and Casale Monferrato, Italy (2000). Their second CD released by Sony Classical won the 2003 Fryderyk Prize. RSQ is also the recipient of a Borletti-Buitoni Trust Fellowship in 2005.

Royal String Quartet appeared with recitals in most of the countries in Europe, in Canada and the United Arab Emirates. Their concerts have been broadcasted by Polish Radio and BBC 3. Future engagements include concerts in Poland, UK, Italy and Algeria.