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The Australian String Quartet
The Australian String Quartet. L to R: Dale Barltrop, Francesca Hiew, Christopher Cartlidge & Michael Dahlenburg

The Australian String Quartet (ASQ) is a chamber music group founded in 1985 and based at the University of Adelaide, South Australia. It delivers an artistic program of performances, workshops, commissions, digital content and education projects across Australia and abroad.

The quartet performs on a matched set of string instruments hand crafted by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini between c.1743-1784 in Italy. The earliest of these is a cello (c. 1743), and a violin (1748-49), both made in Piacenza. The viola (1783) and another violin (1784) were made in Turin.

The ASQ regularly tours Australia and the world. The current members are Dale Barltrop (violin), Francesca Hiew (violin), Christopher Cartlidge (viola) and Michael Dahlenburg (cello).

Guest artists have included pianists Angela Hewitt, Angela Lam and Piers Lane, mezzo-soprano Anne Sofie von Otter, clarinettists Michael Collins and Ashley Smith, violist Brett Dean and cellist Pieter Wispelwey.

In the media

In 2014-15, a documentary Highly Strung was made about the ASQ that documented the break-up of the quartet as it was then, plus the making of a copy of the cello by Italian luthier Roberto Cavagnoli. The documentary was made by acclaimed film-maker Scott Hicks. It introduces us to Ulrike Klein, a board member of the ASQ, and the members of the quartet.[1][2][3]

Awards and nominations

APRA Music Awards

The APRA Awards are presented annually from 1982 by the Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA).[4] They include the Art Music Awards (until 2009 Classical Music Awards) which are distributed by APRA and the Australian Music Centre (AMC).[5]

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2005 Tales of the Supernatural (Andrew Ford) for Australian String Quartet, Jane Edwards Vocal or Choral Work of the Year Won [6]
2014 String Quartet No 5 (Andrew Ford) for Australian String Quartet Work of the Year – Instrumental Nominated [7]
2021 A Room of Her Own (Anne Cawrse) for Australian String Quartet Work of the Year: Chamber Music Won [8]

ARIA Music Awards

The ARIA Music Awards is an annual awards ceremony that recognises excellence, innovation, and achievement across all genres of Australian music. They commenced in 1987.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2017 Migration (with Slava Grigoryan) ARIA Award for Best World Music Album Nominated [9]

National Live Music Awards

The National Live Music Awards (NLMAs) commenced in 2016 to recognise contributions to the live music industry in Australia.

Year Nominee / work Award Result Ref.
2023 Australian String Quartet Best Classical Act Nominated [10]

References

  1. ^ Highly Strung, Screen Australia, 2016, accessed 2017-02-12
  2. ^ Highly Strung review: Scott Hicks directs classical documentary like a maestro, Jake Wilson, Sydney Morning Herald, 2016-05-18, accessed 2017-02-12
  3. ^ Highly Strung (2015), IMDb 2016, accessed 2017-02-12
  4. ^ "APRA History". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 20 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  5. ^ "Classical Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 28 September 2010. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  6. ^ "2005 Winners – Classical Music Awards". Australasian Performing Right Association (APRA). Archived from the original on 16 September 2009. Retrieved 7 September 2010.
  7. ^ "2014 Art Music Awards – winners". Australian Music Centre (AMC). Retrieved 7 March 2017.
  8. ^ "Winners & Finalists". APRA AMCOS | Australian Music Centre (AMC). 9 September 2021. Retrieved 9 September 2021.
  9. ^ ARIA Award previous winners. "ARIA Awards – Winners by Award – Best World Music Album". Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA). Retrieved 12 November 2020.
  10. ^ "Nominees Announced For The 2023 National Live Music Awards". The Music. 5 September 2023. Retrieved 11 September 2023.

External links

Authority control databases
String quartets
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