One of Poland’s leading chamber ensembles. In its early years, its members developed their abilities under the supervision of musicians from such quartets as LaSalle, Amadeus, Juilliard, Smetana and Alban Berg.
Today the Silesian Quartet enjoys international fame, giving concerts throughout Europe aas well as in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan, China and South Korea. It has performed in such famous venues as the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Viennese Konzerthaus, De Singel in Antwerp, Schauspielhaus in Berlin, Tivoli in Copenhagen, Salle Pleyel in Paris, Carnegie Hall in New York, Jordan Hall in Boston, Hoam Art Hall in Seoul and Bellas Artes in Mexico City. The quartet performs the canon of great chamber music masterpieces, but also dedicates special attention to the music of our time.
The extensive discography of the Quartet includes music from many different periods, with particular emphasis on Polish music from the last three decades. The Quartet’s recordings have been released on more than 40 LPs and CDs under such labels as ECM, EMI Polska, Olympia, CD Accord and Radio Katowice. Three of these won the Fryderyk Award of the Polish Phonographic Academy for the Best Chamber Music Album.
The Quartet has organised the annual International Chamber Music Festival “The Silesian Quartet and Its Guests” (20 times since 1993), attracting dozens of outstanding Polish and foreign artists. Among the many awards and distinctions granted to the ensemble, there have been: the Gold Cross of Merit (1999), the Golden Orpheus for the best performance of a work by a Polish composer during the Warsaw Autumn Festival 2002), The Golden Badge of Honour for contributions to the development of the Silesian Voivodeship (2005), and the Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis (2008). In this artistic season, the Quartet is celebrating its 35th anniversary.
