Vogler Quartet

Formed in East Berlin in 1985, The Vogler Quartet quickly established itself as one of the finest quartets of its generation. Mastering a repertoire of over 200 works from all epochs and period music, they are widely celebrated for their extraordinary musical intelligence, highly creative playing with homogenous tone, rich nuances, powerful interpretations and unconventional programming. The four musicians studied at the Hochschule für Music Hanns Eisler in Berlin with Professor Eberhard Feltz as the mentor of their initial quartet playing. In May 1986 they came to international prominence through winning the International String Quartet Competition in Evian, with the press jury prize and a special prize for the best interpretation of a contemporary work. They were subsequently invited to study with the renowned La Salle Quartet in Basel, Switzerland and at the University of Cincinnati, USA.

In September 1999, The Vogler Quartet was designated “Quartet in Residence” in County Sligo. The residency was a pilot project which saw one of the world’s leading string quartets pioneer a dynamic model of musical development in County Sligo. The Vogler Quartet worked closely with local music groups, schools and educational institutions in the key areas of performance, music education and instrumental tuition. They worked as programme advisers for Sligo Music Series before founding the annual Vogler Spring Festival in 1999, now Sligo International Chamber Music Festival, where they are the Festival Ensemble in Residence.

The Vogler Quartet‘s repertoire covers both the standard classical repertoire for string quartet from Haydn to Bartók and the Second Viennese School, as well as many lesser-known and new works. Amongst the contemporary composers who have written for them are Ian Wilson, Gerald Barry, Frank Michael Beyer, Jörg Widmann, Mauricio Kagel, Erhard Grosskopf, Elaine Agnew and many others.

Their versatility and openness to new material is also reflected in the Quartet’s regular collaboration with other well known musicians, most notably their recent venture with German chanteuse Ute Lemper in 2012, when their CD “Paris Days & Berlin Nights” on Steinway & Sons and with Ute Lemper, received a nomination for the 2013 Grammy Awards.