Benda Quartet

The Benda Quartet has gained a national reputation in the musically highly competitive Czech Republic since its formation in the early 2010s. The group has also appeared at international venues. The Benda Quartet was founded in 2012 and has been based in the city of Ostrava, where it frequently performs. The members as of 2024 are violinists Jakub Černohorský and Ondřej Pustějovský, namesake violist Petr Benda, and cellist Tomáš Svozil. An important early appearance for the quartet came in April of 2014, when it was included on a subscription series organized by the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava; the concert was recorded by Czech Radio, and Benda Quartet concerts have often been broadcast there in the years since. The group went on to perform later that year as part of the Czech Music in the Castles of North Moravia and Silesia project of the Janáček May International Music Festival. It has continued to collaborate with that festival, participating in one series that focuses on contemporary music and with the Janáček Philharmonic Ostrava, appearing in multiple series with both. In 2015, the Benda Quartet made its recording debut with an album for Czech Radio featuring Janáček's String Quartet No. 1. That year, the quartet began to participate in Czech festivals that had national and international reputations, including the Janáček Hukvaldy International Music Festival, Mahler Jihlava Festival, and St. Wenceslas Music Festival. The group has also appeared multiple times at the Hudební současnost festival, which focuses on contemporary music. The quartet maintains a schedule of concerts and workshops aimed at students and young audiences. The reach of the Benda Quartet increased in the late 2010s and early 2020s with appearances in prestigious series such as the Czech Philharmonic Chamber Music Festival, and it has begun to perform abroad at such events as the St. Gellért International Music Festival in Szeged, Hungary. In 2024, the quartet appeared with the Trio Casals and the Nishikawa Ensemble on Sonix and Other Tonix, an album featuring music by composer Jan Järvlepp.
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