“A quartet to keep an eye on” - Luís Gago (El País)
“Here is an ensemble with a personal sound and approach that merits every bit of attention and assistance” - Alfred Brendel
Since its founding in Barcelona in 2014, the Cosmos Quartet has become one of the most interesting and sought after string quartets of its generation. Their critically acclaimed performances, with repertoire spanning from the 18th century to the present, have been celebrated as honest, elegant, expressive and captivating.
As members of the “European Chamber Music Academy” ECMA, they worked regularly with Hatto Beyerle and Johannes Meissl; they also obtained a masters degree at the “Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover” with Prof. Oliver Wille. Other influential mentors have included Alfred Brendel, Rainer Schmidt, Jonathan Brown, Patrik Jüdt, Alasdair Tait, Krzysztof Chorzelski and David Watkin among others.
Quickly after its founding, the Cosmos Quartet garnered international recognition, winning First Prize at the Competition Irene Steels - Wilsing Foundation 2018 in Heidelberg, First Prize at the 13th Premi BBVA de Música de Cambra Montserrat Alavedra 2018, along with Third Prize at the International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition 2019 in Weimar, and Third Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition 2015 in Copenhagen.
For three seasons, from 2021-2024, the Cosmos Quartet was the ensemble in residence at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, performing eight recitals dedicated to the quartets of Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Anton Webern.
The Cosmos Quartet performs regularly in the most important concert halls and festivals of Spain, such as the String Quartet Biennal organized by L’Auditori Barcelona and Cuarteto Casals, "Liceo de Cámara" at Auditorio Nacional in Madrid presented by CNDM, “Festival de Granada”, “Schubertíada de Vilabertran”, ”Ibercamera Girona” at l’Auditori de Girona, “Círculo de Cámara” alt Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, ”Sociedad Filharmonica de Bilbao”, “Festival de Peralada”, ”Festival Bal y Gay“ in Galícia, ”Festival Otoño Musical Sorian” in Soria, “Quincena Musical de Donostia”, ”Festival de Torroella de Montgrí”, ”Ciclo de Música de Cámara Espacio Turina” in Sevilla and “Festival Atrium Musicae” in Cáceres among others.
Internationally they have been invited to perform at Wigmore Hall in London, the “Streichquartettfest” in Heidelberg, the “Philarmonie” in París, “Palais des Beaux Arts” in Brussels, the “Konzerthaus” in Berlin, SWR in Köln, the Festival “Music Plus” in Innsbruck, the “Gent Festival van Vlaanderen” in Belguim, the “East Neuk Festival” in Edinburgh and the “MUSIC4L-MENTE” Festival in Portugal.
Their interest in and commitment to contemporary music has led Cosmos to premiere works by Raquel García-Tomás, Joan Magrané, Octavi Rumbau, Mauricio Sotelo, Benet Casablancas, Jörg Widmann, Bernat Vivancos, Manuel Rodríguez Valenzuela, Montserrat Lladó, Sky Macklay and Yair Klartag among others. This music is now an integral part of their repertoire, and as such they have performed in the “Sampler Sèries” a l’Auditori de Barcelona, the “Series 20/21” in Madrid (CNDM) and “Out-Side” in Barcelona.
Their numerous collaborations include pianists Alexei Volodin, Juan Pérez Floristán and Varvara Nepomnyashchaya, the Quiroga Quartet, cellists Lluís Claret, Arnau Tomàs Fernando Arias and Erica Wise, violist Jonathan Brown, clarinetist Miquel Ramos, soprano Katharina Konradi and baritone Konstantin Krimmel.
In May 2019 the quartet released their first CD “Influences” with Seed Music, with works by J.Haydn, J. Brahms and Raquel García Tomás. In 2023, also with Seed Music, they will release their second album, with works by Beethoven, Brahms and Octavi Rumbau. A third release is planned for 2024, with which they will have recorded all of the Brahms quartets.
The quartet plays instruments made especially for them by the prestigious Catalan luthier, David Bagué.