Banff International String Quartet Festival

September 21 | 6 p.m. ET | Watch on Violin Channel and Banff Centre platforms.

October 15 | 11am-3pm local time | Listen on CBC's In Concert, heard across Canada on CBC Music and online. 

Viano Quartet

Ludwig van Beethoven: String Quartet in F minor, Op. 95 No. 11
Kevin Lau: Train to Improbable Places
Bedřich Smetena: String Quartet No. 1 in E minor, ‘From My Life’

September 28 | 6 p.m. ET | Watch on Violin Channel and Banff Centre platforms.

November 5 | 11am-3pm local time | Listen on CBC's In Concert, heard across Canada on CBC Music and online. 

Leonkoro Quartett, New Orford String Quartet, Carmen Braden, Gilles Vonsattel, Michael Bridge, Anna Štube, Hao Zhou

Ralph Vaughn Williams: The Lark Ascending
Franz Joseph Haydn: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 33 No. 3
Carmen Braden: The Raven Conspiracy
Paul Nero: The Hot Canary

September 17 | 11am-3pm local time | Listen on CBC's In Concert, heard across Canada on CBC Music and online. 

New Orford String Quartet, Ema Nikolovska, Gilles Vonsattel, Joel Quarrington

String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887
Liebesbotschaft from Schwanengesang, D. 957
Daß sie hier gewesen, Op. 59, No. 2, D. 775
Auf dem Wasser zu singen, Op. 72, D. 774
Liebhaber in allen Gestalten, D. 558
Die Forelle, Op. 32, D. 550
Piano Quintet in A Major, D. 667, The Trout Quintet

October 5 | 6 p.m. ET | Watch on Violin Channel and Banff Centre platforms.

New Orford String Quartet, Gilles Vonsattel, Ema Nikolovska, Michael Bridge, Joel Quarrington, Jonathan Schwarz, Aiden Kane, Barry Shiffman, Tate Zawadiuk, Lukas Schwarz

Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 26 in Eb, Op. 81a, "Les Adieux"
Manuel de Falla: Siete canciones populares español
Maurice Ravel: Vocalise-étude en forme de Habanera
Fernando Jaumandreu Orbradors: Canciones Clásicas Españolas Vol.1
Antonio Vivaldi: Sonata No. 6, RV 46
Johannes Brahms: Rondo alla Zingarese from Piano Quartet in g, Op. 25 No. 1
Felix Mendelssohn: String Octet in E-flat Major, Op. 20
 

Over the span of three days, audience members are immersed in a concert schedule that features some of the finest quartets of our time. Performances, lectures, and shared meals make BISQfest a music-lover's experience you will never forget. 
 

Friday, September 1

2:30pm | BISQFest Concert 1 | Rolston Recital Hall

4:30pm | Passholder Event: Artist Talk | Margaret Greenham Theatre

7:30pm | BISQFest Concert 2 | Rolston Recital Hall
 

Saturday September 2

10:30am | BISQFest Concert 3 | Rolston Recital Hall

2:30pm | BISQFest Concert 4 | Rolston Recital Hall

4:30pm | Passholder Event: Film Screening with Larry Weinstein | Margaret Greenham Theatre

7:30pm | BISQFest Concert 5 | Rolston Recital Hall

Sunday, September 3

10:30am | BISQFest Concert 6 | Margaret Greenham Theatre

2:30pm | BISQFest Concert 7 | Rolston Recital Hall
In memory of Geoff Nuttall (1965-2022), first violinist of St. Lawrence String Quartet

4:30pm | Passholder Event: Film Screening with Larry Weinstein | Margaret Greenham Theatre

7:30pm | BISQFest Concert 8 | Rolston Recital Hall

*programming subject to change without notice

With various options to choose from, we make it easy for you to enjoy every note of the Banff International String Quartet Festival by staying on site in the comfort of Banff Centre's hotels with full amenities.

Festival Packages

• 3 or 4 nights accommodation
• All meals in Vistas Dining Room
• Reserved seating to all performances
• Access to all special events
   

Four-Night Package - arrival Thursday, August 31, 2023

Solo: $1908.24
Duo: $2768.86

Three-Night Package - arrival Friday, September 1, 2023

Solo: $1531.43
Duo: $2277.27

Note: Duo package pricing includes shared accommodation, plus the meals and tickets for two.

Passport Package (tickets only)

For audience who want to experience it all but do not require accommodation or meals at Banff Centre, the passport option provides reserved seating to all performances and access to special events.

$406.35

Contact Box Office to inquire about package availability. 
 

Individual Tickets

Individual tickets go on sale in June.

Rolston Recital Hall

The majority of performances during the Banff International String Quartet Festival take place in the Rolston Recital Hall at Banff Centre. When you purchase your Package or Passport, the same seat will be reserved for you in the Rolston Recital Hall for the entire Festival. When you book, you will be able to share with us your preferred seats. 

For the few events that will take place in Margaret Greenham Theatre, a similar sized venue to Rolston Recital Hall, passholders will receive equivalent reserved seating as assigned by Box Office staff. 
Learn more about the venues.

Cancellation Policy

Any cancellations made before July 1, 2023 will receive a 75% refund. Any cancellations made before August 1, 2023 will receive a 50% refund. If Banff Centre cancels all or portions of the Banff International String Quartet Festival as a result of governmentally imposed restrictions or because Banff Centre has, in its sole discretion, determined that such actions are necessary to ensure the health and safety of Banff Centre guests, artists, and staff and has provided the Guest with reasonable notice of same, then Banff Centre shall provide the Guest with a full refund of the above listed BISQFest Package. Banff Centre shall not be responsible for any costs incurred by the Guest in relation to Banff Centre's decision to cancel all or portions of the BISQFest other than a refund of the BISQFest package and the Guest is therefore strongly encouraged to obtain appropriate travel insurance.

Barry Shiffman enjoys a diverse career as a musician, educator, and administrator. He was co-founder of the St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) and currently serves as both the Associate Dean and Director of Chamber Music at Glenn Gould School, and Director of the Phil and Eli Taylor Performance Academy for Young Artists at the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto. 

During his 17 years with the SLSQ he appeared in over 2,000 concerts in venues around the globe, and recorded several critically acclaimed discs under an exclusive contract with EMI Classics. While with SLSQ, Shiffman served as artistin-residence at Stanford University from 1998 to 2006 and as visiting artist at the University of Toronto from 1995 to 2006. 

Shiffman has also served in numerous roles at Banff Centre, including Director of Music Programs (2006-2010), Artistic Director of Summer Classical Music Programs (2010-2016), and Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition since 2006. During his tenure at Banff Centre he introduced new programming in classical music performance, composition, popular music, and jazz and oversaw the dramatic growth of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, including the successful launch of the Banff Centre International String Quartet Festival in 2017.

In 2018, Shiffman was appointed Artistic Director of Rockport Music in Massachusetts, overseeing all classical programming for the organization including a five-week summer chamber music festival at the venerable Shalin Liu Performance Center. From 2009-2017, he was Executive Artistic Director of Music in the Morning Concert Society in Vancouver. A sought-after juror, he has served on the violin jury of the Tchaikovsky and Montreal Violin Competitions, and the String Quartet Competitions of London Wigmore Hall, Lyon, and Geneva.

Shiffman received his formal studies at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto, University of Toronto, Utrecht Conservatory, Hartt School of Music, Juilliard School, and Yale University. Summer studies included Banff Centre, Tanglewood, and Aspen. He is also  the recipient of the Longy School’s Nadia Boulanger Prize for Excellence in the Art of Teaching, and an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Calgary.