The Quiroga String Quartet was born following the advice and support of the later Charles-André Linale. The quartet takes its name from the great Galician violinist Manuel Quiroga, one of the most important string players of Spanish music history, together with Pau Casals and Pablo Sarasate.
Since its foundation, the quartet has performed in some of the most important halls in Spain including the “Auditorio Nacional” Madrid, “Palau de la Musica” Barcelona, “Palau de Valencia”, “Palacio Euskalduna” Bilbao, and participated in Festivals like “Quincena Musical Donostiarra”, Osnabrücker Kammarmusiktage, Kirchbergforum (Germany), Festival Internacional de Santander, the CEMC-ProQuartet Series in Paris-Fontainebleau, “Are-More” International Festival in Vigo, Granada Internacional Festival, Festival Internazionale Quartetto d ́Archi di Reggio Emilia (Italy), Orlando Festival (Netherlands), Sandviken Kammarmusikfestivalen (Sweden), and Festival d’Entrecasteaux (France). They have recently performed an extensive tour in main cities and venues of Argentina, Urugay and Brazil.
The Quartet has recorded for RNE-2, Radio Nacional de España, WDR-Köln, SWR-2 Germany, CatalunyaMusic, Radio Galega, RadioFrance – FranceMusique, MezzoTV and SONY (sponsored by the Albéniz Fundation). The Quiroga Quartet has collaborated with artists like Vladimir Mendelssohn, Tobias Carron, Víctor Rodríguez, Jensen Horn-SinLam, David Kadouch and Alfredo Perl.
In July 2007 the Quiroga Quartet was doubly awarded with the Second Prize and the Prize from Jury of the Critics and Press at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition (Ex-Evian), being the first Spanish quartet to enter this palmarés. They have also received the Special Prize from the Jury at the Geneva International Competition 2006, Second Prize at the International Competition FNAPEC “Musiques d’Ensemble” (Paris 2006), as well as First Prizes at the following competitions: Barcelona Primer Palau 2005, Ciudad de Manresa 2006 and Ciudad de Lucena 2006. They have been awarded the 2007 Culture Prize (“ojo critico”) given yearly by the Spanish National Radio (RNE) and recently they’ve been awarded several special prizes from the Jury at the 2008 Paolo Borciani International String Quartet Competition in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
From its very beginning, The Quiroga Quartet has worked with professor Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Queen Sofía School of Music and the Chamber Music Institute in Madrid (2004 - 2007). Besides participating several times in the Academic Programs of ProQuartet, the quartet has also had master classes with Günter Pichler, Erich Höbarth, Paul Katz, András Keller, Johannes Meissl, Hatto Beyerle and Anner Bylsma, among others. They have just completed their Chamber Music Diploma with professors Walter Levin and Rainer Schmidt at the Musikakademie Basel (Switzerland).
The Quiroga Quartet is part of the faculty at the Llanes International Summer Courses in Asturias.
Currently the Quiroga Quartet is ensemble in residence at the Fundacion Museo Cerralbo in Madrid and holds the String Quartet Chair of the Chamber Music Faculty at the Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón (Zaragoza, Spain).
Aitor Hevia
Born in Oviedo (Spain), he started learning violin under the guidance of his father, J. Ramom Hevia, at the age of six. He continued his studies with Iouri Nashouskin, finishing his career at the Conservatorio Superior de Musica de Oviedo.
He would later study under J. Glickman at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London, and under Keiko Wataya and Ilie Grubert at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam where he graduated "Cum Laude".
He attended violin masterclasses with A. Mikline, A. Leon Ara, Felix Ayo, Boris Garlitzky, Charles-André Linale, etc...
He has been awarded scholarships by the Ministry of Education and Science, the Principality of Asturias and CajAstur.
He was Concermaster at J.O.N.D.E. (Spanish National Youth Orquestra) and member of E.U.Y.O. (European Union Youth Orquestra), working with such conductors as C. Maria Giulini, Sir Colin Davis, B. Haitink, V. Ashkenazy, etc...
In May 2002 he was invited to play Sibelius Violin Concerto with O.S.P.A. (Principality of Asturias Symphony Orchestra). As a soloist he has performed Mozart Sinfonia Concertante , Vivaldi "Spring", and Prokofiev Violin Concerto nº1 with orchestras such as the Zürich Youth Orchestra and Leon's Odon Alonso.
He has been Keiko Wataya´s assistant teacher at Musikene (Higher School of Music of the University of the Basque Country) and "Art and Culture Open Days" held by Bilbao University, as well as violin teacher at "City of Astorga" Music Courses.
Founder member of the Cuarteto Quiroga, he is currently violin and string quartet teacher at Llanes International Music Course.
Cibrán Sierra
Born in Ourense, (Galicia-Spain) in 1979, studied in Spain (Conservatorio Superior de Vigo, B.Mus), Sweden (GöteborgsMusikhögskolan, SolistDiplom), US (Oberlin College, Artist Diploma) and The Netherlands (Conservatorium van Ansterdam, Master in Music) with teachers Deborah Hamburger, Keiko Wataya, Malin Broman, Per Enoksson and Milan Vitek.
Currently, as member of the Cuarteto Quiroga, awarded in several major international string quartet competitions, he is in residence at the Museo Cerralbo in Madrid and performs extensively in Spain, Europe and South America.
Besides his official violin studies, he has attended violin and chamber music masterclasses with teachers like Mihaela Martin, Taras Gabora, Istvan Parkany, Félix Ayo, Marilyn MacDonald, Marc Lubotsky, Nobuko Imai, Roger Chase, Dimitri Fertchsmann, etc.
He’s been awarded the the Guido Vecchi Prize 2004 in Sweden, the 1st Prize at Voldrich StipendieTävling (Göteborg 2001), Bärenreiter Prize at the 2000 Jeunesses Musicales Competition, the Smithsonian Institution Stradivarius Internship (Washington DC, 2002), or the Dean’s Talent Award 2003 in Oberlin, USA.
He has performed extensively as recitalist and soloist with orchestras in Spain, Sweden, Netherlands, Denmark, Czech Republic, Portugal, Germany, France and the USA. In Sweden, for instance, we can mention Bartók first violin concerto with Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra and the premiére also in Gothenburg, of Roger Johanssons’ Violin Concerto, which is written and dedicated to him.
As orchestra musician he has collaborated with orchestras such as Huaröds Kammarorkester, Amsterdam Sinfonietta at Concertgebouw, Galicia Symphony Orchestra-OSG, Opera de Rouen-France, etc. During season 2008/09 he collaborates as assistant concertmaster with Göteborgs Symfoniker-National Orchestra of Sweden.
As section leader/concertmaster he has worked closely with conductors such as: Sir Colin Davis, Frans Brüggen, Jordi Savall, Gustavo Dudamel, Vladimir Ashkenazy, etc.
During the academic year 2003-2004 he worked as assistant of concertmaster Per Enoksson at the Musikhögskolan of Göteborg University and currently he is part of the violin and chamber music faculty of Llanes International Summer Academy in Asturias, Spain.
Dénes Ludmány
Born 1980, in Bonyhad, Hungary , Dénes Ludmány graduated in 1999 with professor Sándor Nagy at the Music Acadmy Franz Liszt of Budapest. Between 1999 and 2005, he completed his studies at the University Mozarteum Salzburg with professors Thomas Riebl and Veronika Hagen. He also attended, between 2000-2002, the Academy of the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, with professor Albrecht Rohde.
He has been the winner of several top prizes and awards at different competitions, such as the 1995 International Viola Competition of Debrecen, Hungary, the 2002 International Viola Competition of Bled, Slovenia, and the 2003 Raiffeisen Classic Prize.
Professionally, he has worked as the Principal Violist of the Salzburger Chamber Soloists as well as with the Camerata Salzburg. He has also worked as the viola player of the Austrian Ensemble for Contemporary Music (ÖENM). Ludmány has collaborated with several orchestras, most importantly the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra. In Munich worked as well with Helmut Nikolai (principal violist of MPO, member of Rosamunde Quartet), Lorenz Nasturica and Sreten Krstic (concert masters of MPO), Philipp Körner (principal cellist of the Stuttgart Opera) as well as with well-known conductors such as James Levine, Zubin Mehta, Daniele Gatti, Péter Eötvös, Helmut Rilling, Gunter Wand, and Christian Thielemann, among others.
A member of the Ludmany Piano Trio, he’s regularly performed as a soloist and chamber musician in Hungary, Austria, USA, and Germany.
Dénes Ludmány has played in various chamber ensembles in Hungary, Austria (Festival Mondseetage, Styrian Chamber Music Festival) Germany, Italy, Spain, China and Japan, and as a soloist in the festival “I Palpiti” in Los Angeles and in Taos, New Mexico, organized by Young Concert Artists International, Inc.
He feels to be dedicated also to support contemporary music, as a soloist and with others (ÖENM) as well.
He is very much honoured and delighted to have been able to pursue chamber music studies with Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), who - besides Thomas Riebl - mostly shaped his way of musical being.
Helena Poggio
Born in Madrid, she started her violoncello studies at the age of eight at the Madrid Conservatory and finished in 1999 with a Degree’s Extraordinary Prize. She studied for five years at the Reina Sofía Music School, under the direction of Frans Helmerson. In Bloomington, Indiana University, she obtained the “Artist Diploma” studying with T. Tsutsumi. She continued her studies at the Juilliard School, with J. Krosnick and obtained the “Master of Music”. She has received magisterial classes from D. Geringas, L. Claret , B. Greenhouse, J. Starker, P. Müeller and B. Pergamenschikov.
First Prize at the National String Instruments Competition “Ciudad de Játiva”, First Prize and Audience Prize for best string performer at the International Bow Instruments Competition “Julio Cardona” in Portugal, “Outstanding Student” from the violoncello chair at the Reina Sofía School for two years, Second Prize and Prize for “Best Performer of Spanish Music” at the International Competition “Villa de Llanes”, First Prize of the Chamber Music Competition of Young Musicians, First Prize at the Competition of Spanish and Latin American Music at the Indiana University. She has performed as a soloist with different chamber groups at several halls in Spain, Portugal, Germany, the Netherlands, Italy, Bosnia, USA and she has recorded for Radio Clásica and TVE.
She was granted with a Fulbright scholarship as well as by the Madrid Government, the Spanish Young Musicians, the Isaac Albeniz Foundation, the Ministry of Culture and the Association of Music Performers (AIE). She has finished her violoncello studies with N. Shakhovskaya and her chamber music studies with R. Schmidt at the Reina Sofía Music School.