Karol Szymanowski Quartet

Since its foundation in 1995, the Karol Szymanowski Quartet has been marked by a constant search for new inspiration and an openness to the unexpected. Each of the distinguished musicians has contributed their own voice to the sound of this renowned ensemble. The quartet’s members share a common understanding of music and a deep commitment to the legacy of Polish composers, including their namesake, Karol Szymanowski. His music, characterized by freedom and endless expressive possibilities, continues to be a defining element of the quartet’s identity. It also serves as an impulse for the musicians of Polish and Ukrainian origin to explore their own identity and to continuously transcend boundaries.

The quartet has received numerous prizes and distinctions at competitions in Weimar, Hanover, Melbourne, Osaka, and Florence. From 2001, they were part of the BBC’s “New Generation Artists Scheme” for three years.

In the following years, the ensemble established itself at the top of the international music scene as an ambassador of the works of Szymanowski and other Polish and East European composers, including W. Lutosławski, S. Gubaidulina, M. Weinberg, and K. Penderecki. This artistic work was honored in 2005 with the Karol Szymanowski Foundation Prize, and in 2007 with the Meritorious for Polish Culture distinction. In 2008, the quartet initiated the Lviv Chamber Music Festival, which has become a vibrant platform for cultural exchange and joint performances with world-renowned musicians.

A special connection between the ensemble and its audiences is created above all during live concerts around the world. The quartet has appeared in prestigious concert halls such as Carnegie Hall in New York, Wigmore Hall in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Konzerthaus in Berlin, and the Shanghai Symphony Hall, as well as at leading international festivals in Rheingau, Schleswig-Holstein, Schwetzingen, and Lockenhaus.