Bozzini Quartet

Founded in Montreal in 1999, the Bozzini Quartet comprises Clemens Merkel on violin; Alissa Cheung on violin; Stéphanie Bozzini on viola; and Isabelle Bozzini on cello. It is one of Canada’s most renowned ensembles in the field of contemporary music.

Recognised for its refined interpretation and its commitment to today’s composers, it has been performing works that push the boundaries of the string quartet for over twenty-five years. Praised for its ‘intense musicality and immense sensitivity’ (Musicworks, Canada), the Bozzini Quartet has been described in Bandcamp Daily as “one of the most daring string quartets in the world”.

For this concert at the Cultural Centre, the Bozzini Quartet offers a journey through four soundscapes inspired by the natural world: birds, animals, the movement of water and the echoes of life.

Bringing together works by three Canadian composers – Alissa Cheung, Linda Smith and Cassandra Miller – as well as Canadian composer Michael Oesterle, this programme also celebrates a history of deep friendships and artistic collaborations that have spanned more than twenty years.

In Du nord (2020), Alissa Cheung translates the solidarity of migrating snow geese into the quartet’s ensemble playing, drawing inspiration from a painting by Jean-Paul Riopelle. Linda Smith’s Gondola (2007) evokes the gentle rocking of the water and its ripples. In Warblework (2011), Cassandra Miller brings to life the songs of four species of thrush, revealing, beneath their apparent strangeness, surprisingly human melodies. Finally, Michael Oesterle’s Three Pieces for String Quartet (2016) draws us into a musical journey inspired by endangered animals.

This concert forms part of the ‘Portrait Musique’ series dedicated to the Canadian composer Cassandra Miller as part of the Festival d’Automne in Paris.

More information: Bozzini Quartet

Bookings open one month before the concert.