The String Quartet, founded in Berlin in 2019, can hardly be described more aptly than in the review published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in January 2022. 

The ensemble is framed by brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, while the middle voices are formed by Amelie Wallner on second violin and Mayu Konoe on viola. Leonkoro, in Esperanto: Lionheart, alludes not coincidentally to Astrid Lindgren’s children’s book about two brothers, a book that juxtaposes the grave reality of death with a large and heartfelt yearning for comfort and solace - a sentiment that string quartet repertoire addresses in several instances.

In 2022, the Leonkoro Quartet garnered a series of prestigious accolades, solidifying their place among the most celebrated ensembles of their generation. In March, they were bestowed with the highly prestigious Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize, a biennial award recognizing outstanding String Quartets. Subsequently, the quartet triumphed at the International String Quartet Competition held at London’s Wigmore Hall, earning 1st prize and a collection of 9 special awards, including interpretations, residencies, and concert prizes.

Continuing their triumphant journey, the quartet seized the top honours - 1st prize – at the Concours International de Quatuor à Bordeaux in May. Their exceptional performances not only impressed the esteemed jury but also captivated the audience, resulting in the quartet receiving both the Audience Prize and the Young Audience Prize. Shortly thereafter, they were invited to join the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists program, where they will participate from 2022 to 2024.

November 2022 witnessed yet another remarkable achievement for the quartet when they were bestowed with the MERITO String Quartet Award. Unlike conventional competitions, this award recognizes selected quartets over a year, as they are observed by a panel of renowned String Quartet musicians. The Leonkoro Quartet’s exceptional musicianship and talent were duly acknowledged, and they will be supported by the MERITO String Instrument Trust for four years including a composition commission.

The series of accolades continues this Spring: In March 2024, the Leonkoro Quartet received the Young Talent Award of the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the starting point for a long-standing relationship. A week after followed the announcement as Borletti-Buitoni Trust award winners, a great honor and a wonderful support for the quartet and its work.

Alongside their academic pursuits in chamber music under the tutelage of Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet) at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, the quartet has been studying with Günter Pichler (Primarius Alban Berg Quartet) at the Chamber Music Institute of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía Madrid since 2020. Notable mentors of the ensemble include Eckart Runge and Gregor Sigl (Artemis Quartet), as well as pianist Alfred Brendel, with whom the Leonkoro Quartet maintains a regular collaboration.

In Fall 2023, Mirare released the ensemble’s first album featuring Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet and Robert Schumann’s String Quartet Op. 41 No. 3, which was crowned with the Choc de Classica l’année 2023 just a few weeks later.

In Spring 2024 the Leonkoro Quartet and the prestigious record label Alpha Classics will launch a long-term partnership.

The four musicians already celebrated many triumphant debuts in major international concert series and festivals last season. More will follow this season, including at the Salzburg Festival, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Liederhalle Stuttgart, the Tonhalle Zurich, the Bozar Brussels and the Konzerthaus Dortmund. In addition, the quartet will tour North America for the first time with concerts in New York City, NY, Boston, MA, Montreal, QC, Chicago, IL, Houston, TX and San Francisco, CA, just to name a few.

The Leonkoro Quartet is a Pirastro Artist and Henle App Ambassador.

Jonathan Schwarz plays on a fine JB Guadagnini on generous loan through the Beare’s International Violin Society.

Amelie Wallner plays a Vincenzo Postiglione violin, generously provided by a private donor. 

Mayu Konoe plays a viola by Lorenzo Storioni, kindly provided by a private sponsor.

Lukas Schwarz plays a cello by Carlo Tononi, Venice (c. 1720) loaned by the Beare’s International Violin Society.

The Miró Quartet is one of America’s most celebrated and dedicated string quartets, having been labeled by The New Yorker as “furiously committed” and noted by the Cleveland Plain Dealer for its “exceptional tonal focus and interpretive intensity.” For over twenty-five years the Quartet has performed throughout the world on the most prestigious concert stages, earning accolades from critics and audiences alike. Based in Austin, TX, and thriving on the area’s storied music scene, the Miró takes pride in finding new ways to communicate with audiences of all backgrounds while cultivating the longstanding tradition of chamber music. In their 2023-24 season, the Miró Quartet embarks on a new performance and recording project with pianist Lara Downes. Here on Earth features musical depictions of planet earth, its evolution, and the lives of its inhabitants, with works spanning a century of cultural shift that begins with Darius Milhaud’s La Création du Monde, performed in a new arrangement for piano and string quartet. Upcoming performances include the premiere of a new version of Kevin Puts’ Credo with the Naples Philharmonic, as well as performances for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts, the Saratoga Perfoming Arts Center, and Premiere Performances in Hong Kong.

Formed in 1995, the Miró Quartet was awarded first prize at several national and international competitions including the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. Deeply committed to music education, members of the Quartet have given master classes at universities and conservatories throughout the world, and since 2003 the Miró has served as the quartet-in-residence at the University of Texas at Austin Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music. In 2005, the Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. Having released many celebrated recordings, the Miró recently produced an Emmy Award-winning multimedia project titled Transcendence. A work with visual and audio elements available on live stream, CD, and Blu-ray, Transcendence encompasses philanthropy and documentary filmmaking and is centered around a performance of Franz Schubert’s Quartet in G major on rare Stradivarius instruments. The Miró records independently and makes its music available on a global scale through Apple Music, Amazon, Spotify, Pandora, and YouTube. The Miró Quartet took its name and its inspiration from the Spanish artist Joan Miró, whose Surrealist works — with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory, dreams, and imaginative fantasy — are some of the most groundbreaking, influential, and admired of the 20th century.