January 29, 2001, For Immediate Release
Banff, Alberta CANADA

The Banff Centre gets ready to host some of the world’s best!

The Banff Centre is getting ready to host the 7^th Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC), one of the most important and highly regarded string quartet competitions in the world. Ten of the world’s leading young quartets will vie for the chance to win first prize and join the list of celebrated ensembles who have been winners since this triennial music competition began in 1983. This event takes place at The Banff Centre in Banff, Alberta, Canada, from August 28 – September 2, 2001.

Val Thompson, operations coordinator for BISQC, has been fielding inquiries from interested quartets anxious to know if they have what it takes to enter the competition before the quickly-approaching March 1^st deadline.

"We’re receiving calls from all over the world, including Malaysia, Russia, China, and Japan, as well as throughout Europe and North America. It’s quite exciting to see the truly international reach of the competition and to hear not only from potential competitors, but from audience members who are interested in getting tickets to the competition as well," says Thompson.

Indeed, BISQC is a prestigious event not only for young quartets, but for string quartet aficionados as well. To accommodate this knowledgeable audience, BISQC offers a special "audience residency package." This package allows audiences a chance to experience the entire competition. They live on campus for the week and attend all of the concerts as well as daily lectures with lecturer, writer, broadcaster and Professor Emeritus of Music and past Associate Dean of Arts at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Brian Harris. "We’ve already had an overwhelming response for resident audience packages. Passport tickets (tickets to all concerts) and single tickets are already selling well," says Thompson.

Audiences who want a taste of the calibre of the competition before August can hear the 1998 BISQC winners, the Mirò String Quartet, in concert on Friday, February 2, 2001 at 7:30 pm in Rolston Recital Hall at The Banff Centre. The Mirò Quartet is currently in Banff, where they have just recorded their new CD (included as part of their first-place win at the 1998 Competition), and are working in collaboration this upcoming week with musicians in residence in the Music & Sound program at The Banff Centre.

The Mirò Quartet not only placed first in the last competition, but also won the Pièce de concert prize – a special prize offered to the best performance of a new work commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the competition. The composer of the Pièce de concert for the upcoming competition is Canadian John Estacio. Mr. Estacio is currently composer-in-residence with the Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra and Calgary Opera, positions he accepted after having spent seven years as composer-in-residence to the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra. His works have been performed by orchestras and chamber ensembles across Canada and have been broadcast on numerous occasions on the CBC network.

For tickets or more information on the 7^th Banff International String Quartet Competition, call The Banff Centre Box Office at 1-403-762-6301 or toll-free in North America at 1-800-413-8368, or visit www.banffcentre.ca/music/bisqc.

The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) is one of the most prestigious music competitions in the world for young and upcoming string quartets. Held every three years in Banff, Alberta, Canada, the competition was created in 1983 to mark the 50^th anniversary of The Banff Centre for the Arts.

August 28 (Tues) Classical Repertoire Classical Repertoire Classical Rep.
August 29(Wed) Romantic Repertoire Romantic Repertoire Romantic Rep.
August 30 (Thurs) Contemporary Rep. Contemporary Rep.      Contemporary
August 31 (Fri)        Pièce de concert          ---                           ---
September 1 (Sat) Classical Rep. #2 Classical Rep.#2 Classical Rep.#2
September 2 (Sun)          ---                           ---                  Finals / Awards

WHERE:

The Banff Centre – Banff, Alberta, CANADA

The triennial competition is organized by Music & Sound at The Banff Centre. The Banff Centre is Canada’s only post-secondary learning centre dedicated to arts, leadership development, and mountain culture. The Centre also offers educational conferences year round. The mountain setting, innovative programs, and absolute commitment to the creative process make The Banff Centre unique.

WHO:

Ten of the world’s finest young string quartets will come to Banff to compete in this year’s competition. Competing quartets will be announced in late April, 2001 after the preliminary jury has made its decision.

JURY:

Preliminary jury:
Wolfgang Laufer, USA (Fine Arts Quartet)
Jean Sulem, France (Rosamunde Quartet)
David Takeno, UK (Tokyo Quartet)

The preliminary jury will listen separately to unidentified copies of the audition tapes submitted by candidates for the competition, and will use a uniform marking system to assign marks. The 10 quartets receiving the highest aggregate marks will be invited to take part in the competition.

Competition jury in Banff (August 28 – September 2)
Andrew Dawes, Canada (Orford Quartet)
Keith Harvey, UK (Gabrielli Quartet)
Marina Hoover, Canada (St. Lawrence Quartet)
Josef Kluson, Czech Republic (Prazak Quartet)
Lorand Fenyves, Canada (Israel Quartet)
Veronika Hagen, Austria (Hagen Quartet)
Donald Weilerstein, United States (Cleveland Quartet)

First Prize
- $20,000
- a recital tour
- a quartet of custom-made bows by Canadian archetier Michael Vann
- a residency at The Banff Centre for the Arts with the opportunity to record a CD
- total value of the first prize in excess of $45,000

Second Prize
- $12,000

Third Prize
- $8,000

Fourth Prize
- $5,000

Pièce de concert Prize
- $2,000 for the best performance of the Pièce de concert, commissioned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation especially for this competition. The composer for the Pièce de concert is Canadian John Estacio.

Székely Prize
- $3,000 for the best performance of a Beethoven Quartet.
- Zoltán Székely, a near legendary figure in the world of ensemble playing and in whose honour the new prize is named, is currently the violinist-in-residence at The Banff Centre --a position he has held since 1975.

PREVIOUS FIRST PLACE WINNERS:

1998 – The Miró Quartet, USA
1995 – Amernet Quartet, USA
1992 – St. Lawrence Quartet, Canada
1989 – Manfred Quartet, France
1986 – Franciscan Quartet, USA
1983 – Colorado Quartet, USA

TICKETS:

An audience residency package allows string quartet lovers from around the world to experience the entire competition. They live on campus for the week and attend all the concerts as well as daily lectures with lecturer, writer, broadcaster and professor Emeritus of Music and past Associate Dean of Arts at the University of Alberta in Edmonton, Brian Harris. For information contact The Banff Centre at 1-403-762-6180 or toll-free in North America at 1-800-565-9989.

For single tickets, contact The Banff Centre Box Office at 1-403-762-6301 or toll-free in North America at 1-800-413-8368.