Jerusalem Quartet

The Jerusalem Quartet emerged near the end of the 20th century as one of the most talented, busiest, and in-demand string quartets of its generation. The group’s exceedingly heavy concert schedule makes its growing number of admirers wonder how it is able to maintain such a large and ever-expanding repertory. The quartet plays a variety of fare, typically mixing works from varying periods, from Classical through new works such as the String Quintet by composer Carl Vine. The group has played at many of the major concert venues across the globe, including in New York, Paris, Sydney, and throughout Israel. In 2020, the Jerusalem Quartet released its second volume of string quartets by Bartók.
The Jerusalem Quartet was formed in 1993, with Alexander Pavlovsky and Sergei Bresler on violin, Amichai Grosz on viola, and Kyril Zlotnikov on cello. Ori Kam replaced Grosz in 2010 when Grosz became the principal violist for the Berlin Philharmonic. The quartet honed its skills under the mentorship of violinist Avi Abramovich and made its debut in 1996. By the mid-’90s, the group’s achievements were being recognized: in 1996, the Jerusalem Academy awarded it first prize in chamber music. The following year, it captured two prizes at the Graz International Competition. From 1999-2001, the quartet took part in the BBC Radio 3’s New Generation Artists scheme. In 2002, the Jerusalem Quartet’s first recordings were issued: quartets by Beethoven, Ravel, and Dvorák on Live Classics, and the Tchaikovsky First and Shostakovich Third quartets on EMI.
After a sabbatical in 2003, the Jerusalem Quartet returned with a full schedule of concerts, including tours of Australia and New Zealand. It also had a new recording contract with Harmonia Mundi, and its first release with the label, an album of Haydn quartets, was issued to great acclaim in 2004. From 2006-2009, the group served as the quartet-in-residence for the Sydney-based Musica Viva Australia. It also gave several highly successful tours in Australia during this period, including one in 2008, with concerts in Sydney, Melbourne, and Perth. The Jerusalem Quartet tours North America and Europe regularly and is a frequent guest at major festivals, including the Ravinia, Salzburg, and Verbier, among many others.
In 2009, the Jerusalem Quartet issued a second volume of Haydn quartets, which won the group its second award from BBC Music Magazine for chamber music; the quartet won its third such award in 2012 for its recording of string quartets by Mozart. In 2018, the Jerusalem Quartet launched a new program titled Yiddish, which explored Jewish popular music from pre-World War II Poland. The quartet was joined by Hila Baggio on the program and the 2019 album The Yiddish Cabaret, which featured three of the pieces highlighted in the program. The Jerusalem Quartet issued the second set of its Bartók's string quartets cycle in 2020. ~ Robert Cummings & Keith Finke