Borromeo String Quartet
The Borromeo String Quartet performs worldwide and has held some of the most prestigious residencies in the U.S. The quartet has gained attention as the first to use laptop computers to read scores on stage.
The Borromeo String Quartet was formed in 1989 when the original four members -- violinists Nicholas Kitchen and Ruggero Allifranchi, violist Ensik Choi, and cellist Yeesun Kim (she and Kitchen are married) -- were all students at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia. Visiting the northern Italian town of Stresa when they decided to establish the group, they settled on the name Borromeo, referring to the nearby Borromean Islands in Lake Maggiore. They were pleased by the name's four syllables, blending easily to form a single expressive unit. Choi departed in 1994 and was replaced by Hsin-Yun Huang; in 2000, Huang and Allifranchini departed and were replaced by William Fedkenheuer and Mai Motobuchi; and Fedkenheuer was replaced in 2006 by Kristopher Tong. Despite these personnel changes, the quartet has an unbroken record of accolades and strong performance schedules. A win at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1991 propelled the quartet to concert appearances at the 92nd Street Y in New York and the Kennedy Center in Washington. The following year, the group became artists-in-residence at the New England Conservatory. It has also held residencies at the Taos School of Music Summer Program, the Heifetz International Music Institute, and National Public Radio. In 1998, the group won the highly prestigious Cleveland Quartet Awards.
The Borromeo String Quartet has performed throughout the Americas, Europe, and Asia. The members see advantages in their distinctive practice of using laptop computers (Macbook Pro model) on stage; they can read the full score instead of only their own parts, and they can project relevant material (such as the composer's autograph) on a screen. The quartet has collaborated with a variety of major composers, including John Cage, Osvaldo Golijov, and Jennifer Higdon. The quartet has recorded for various labels, including Innova, Bridge, and Centaur; most of their recordings have featured contemporary music. In 2018, the group joined the Cypress String Quartet and Stephen Salters for an album of six string quartets by Elena Ruehr.
The quartet created and continues to perform two youth programs: "MATHEMUSICA" explores the numerical basis of musical forms, while "CLASSIC VIDEO" uses music as a platform for teaching computer drawing, video editing, animation, musical form, and production processes in a fusion of music and visual art.
© James Manheim /TiVo
Discography
11 album(s) • Sorted by Bestseller
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J. S. Bach The Well-Tempered Clavier Book One for String Quartet (arr. Kitchen)
Kamermuziek - Released by Living Archive on 30 mei 2017
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Elena Ruehr: Six String Quartets
Cypress String Quartet, Borromeo String Quartet, Stephen Salters
Kamermuziek - Released by AVIE Records on 16 feb. 2018
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
The Music of Stephen Jaffe, Vol. 4
Da Capo Chamber Players, Borromeo String Quartet, David Hardy, Lambert Orkis
Kamermuziek - Released by Bridge Records on 4 feb. 2022
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Haydn, Schuller, Bartók: Works for String Quartet
Kamermuziek - Released by Bmn-medien on 21 mrt. 2016
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart, Beethoven & Harbison: Works Featuring Piano
David Deveau, Borromeo String Quartet
Klassiek - Released by Steinway and Sons on 21 sep. 2018
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Icarus – And Other Music By Elena Ruehr
Borromeo String Quartet, Arneis Quartet, Delgani String Quartet
Kamermuziek - Released by AVIE Records on 1 apr. 2022
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
RAVEL-String Quartet and Sonata for Violin and Cello
Klassiek - Released by Image Recordings on 1 jan. 2001
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Speak Like the People, Write Like the King
Borromeo String Quartet, Brentano String Quartet, Hsin-Yun Huang
Kamermuziek - Released by Bridge Records on 6 mei 2008
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven-2 Quartets
Klassiek - Released by Image Recordings on 1 jan. 2002
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven String Quartets Op. 131, Op. 130 + 133
Kamermuziek - Released by Borromeo String Quartet on 21 jun. 2020
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -