SATURDAY October 25, 2025 at 7:30 pm
Guelph Youth Music Centre Recital Hall
75 Cardigan Street, Guelph, ON
75 Cardigan Street, Guelph, ON
ZEMLINSKY STRING QUARTET
František Souček violin
Petr Střížek violin
Petr Holman viola
Vladimír Fortin cello
Petr Střížek violin
Petr Holman viola
Vladimír Fortin cello
This special Guelph Musicfest ENCORE concert is in collaboration with the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society, which will present the Zemlinsky Quartet in Waterloo on Friday, October 24, at 7 pm, at a venue to be announced. The concerts have different music designed to complement each other.
Beethoven Quartet in f minor (Serioso), op. 95
Leoš Janáček Quartet No. 1 (Kreutzer Sonata)
Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 (American)
Leoš Janáček Quartet No. 1 (Kreutzer Sonata)
Dvořák String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96, B. 179 (American)
Founded in 1994 while the members were still students, the ZEMLINSKY QUARTET has become a much lauded example of the Czech string quartet tradition.
The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), the Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005), and the London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was the recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include the Beethoven International Competition (1999), the New Talent Bratislava (2003), the Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of the Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the 2016-17 season, the Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.
While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets, including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also participated in several master classes, including ProQuartet in France and the Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria, where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.
The Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contributions to Czech, German, and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.
The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series.
Their vast repertoire spans more than 200 works, ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák to pieces by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).
Between 2006 and 2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet was Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at the Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life, and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.
The Zemlinsky Quartet won the First Grand Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in 2010. They have also been awarded top prizes at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (2007), the Prague Spring International Music Competition (2005), and the London International String Quartet Competition (2006), where they also received the Audience Prize. The Quartet was the recipient of the Alexander Zemlinsky Advancement Award in 2008. Other notable prizes include the Beethoven International Competition (1999), the New Talent Bratislava (2003), the Martinů Foundation String Quartet Competition (2004), and the Prize of the Czech Chamber Music Society (2005). In the 2016-17 season, the Zemlinsky Quartet was appointed as the residential ensemble of the Czech Chamber Music Society.
While students at the Prague Conservatory and the Academy of Performing Arts Prague, the ensemble was coached by members of renowned Czech string quartets, including the Talich, Prague, Kocian and Pražák Quartets. The ensemble also participated in several master classes, including ProQuartet in France and the Sommerakademie in Reichenau, Austria, where they were awarded First Prize for the best interpretation of a work by Janáček. From 2005 to 2008, the quartet studied with Walter Levin, the first violinist of the LaSalle Quartet. Their recent mentor has been Josef Klusoň, the violist of the Pražák Quartet.
The Zemlinsky Quartet is named after the Austrian composer, conductor, and teacher Alexander Zemlinsky (1871-1942), whose enormous contributions to Czech, German, and Jewish culture during his 16-year residence in Prague had been underrated until recently. His four string quartets (the second one being dedicated to his student and brother-in-law Arnold Schönberg) belong to the basic repertoire of the ensemble. Since 2005, the quartet has maintained a special relationship with the Alexander Zemlinsky Foundation in Vienna.
The Zemlinsky Quartet performs regularly in the Czech Republic and abroad (Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, Monaco, Luxembourg, Spain, Italy, Belgium, Great Britain, Ireland, Hungary, Slovakia, Bulgaria, Canada, USA, Brazil, Japan, South Korea). Recent major appearances of the Zemlinsky Quartet include London’s Wigmore Hall, Cité de la Musique in Paris, Library of Congress, Place des Arts in Montreal, Prague Spring Festival, and their New York debut on Schneider/New School Concerts Series.
Their vast repertoire spans more than 200 works, ranging from Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Dvořák to pieces by contemporary composers. The members of the ensemble also perform as soloists and are individual prize-winners of several competitions (Concertino Praga, Spohr International Competition Weimar, Tribune of Young Artists UNESCO, Rotary Music Competition Nürnberg, Beethoven International Competition, Kocian International Competition).
Between 2006 and 2011, the Zemlinsky Quartet was Assistant Quartet-in-Residence at the Musikakademie Basel in Switzerland. Music education is an important part of their professional life, and during their tours, the quartet is often invited to give master classes to students of any age. They also perform educational concerts for students. Recently, František Souček and Petr Holman have been appointed Professors at the Prague Conservatory.
SAVE by buying both concerts in a SERIES!
ENCORE with the Zemlinsky Quartet
ENCORE with Sadie Fields & Ken Gee
Supporters
Guelph Musicfest 2025 is grateful for the generous contributions of many individual supporters.
Follow Guelph Musicfest on Facebook for the latest news and promotions