Finalists Announced for 15th Triennial Banff International String Quartet Competition
By
Banff Centre Communications
Posted on
August 31, 2025
Photo by Abigaile Edwards, courtesy of Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity.
Three quartets will compete for the grand prize at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada.
BANFF, AB, AUGUST 31, 2025 – Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity is proud to announce the three finalist quartets for the 15th Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC).
Held every three years in Banff, Alberta, the week-long competition brings together the world’s finest young string quartets to compete for over $500,000 CAD in cash, prizes, and career development opportunities. The grand prize package includes extensive touring across North America with MKI Artists and Europe with Kozertdirektion Hampl, a recording residency, the Southern Methodist University Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence Prize, an Esterházy Foundation Residency with concerts at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival, and a two-week Chamber Music in Residency at the prestigious Britten Pears Arts in England.
The three competing quartets are (in alphabetical order):
Arete Quartet – Based in Seoul, South Korea
Quartet KAIRI – Based in Salzburg, Austria
Poiesis Quartet – Based in Cincinnati, United States of America
On Sunday, August 31 at 2 p.m. MT, these three quartets will enter a final round of competition, performing a program of their choice before a sold-out crowd in Banff Centre’s Jenny Belzberg Theatre.
The final concert of this week-long event will be livestreamed on the BISQC Facebook page and on theviolinchannel.com. The winning laureate quartet will be announced at an awards ceremony at 7:30 p.m. MT following the finals round on Sunday afternoon.
Find out more about the competing quartets at banffcentre.ca/bisqc.
“Following a week of performances from nine of the finest quartets of our time, these three finalists now have a chance to win the largest prize in chamber music in the world. The celebrated jury members have their work cut out for them as all three of these quartet finalists sound so strong.”
Barry Shiffman, Director, BISQC
The finalists were chosen by seven competition jury members representing some of the top names in chamber music: Marie Chilemme, Jonathan Crow, Eugene Drucker, Honggang Li, Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, Eckart Runge, and David Ying.
Thank you to all our generous supporters and endowments that make this competition possible.
For photos, information or interview requests, please contact:
Carly Maga
Director, Communications
Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
tel: +1.403.763.6210
cell: +1.403.431.3423
carly_maga@banffcentre.ca
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity
Founded in 1933, Banff Centre is a post-secondary institution built upon an extraordinary legacy of excellence in artistic and leadership development. What started as a single course in drama has grown to become a global organization leading in arts, culture, and creative decision-making across dozens of disciplines, from the fine arts to Indigenous Wise Practices. From our home in the stunning Canadian Rocky Mountains, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity aims to move everyone who attends our campus - artists, leaders, thinkers, and audiences - to unleash their creative potential and realize their unique contribution to build an innovative, inspiring future through education, performances, convenings, and public outreach. banffcentre.ca