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Martin Burgess - Violin
The Emperor String Quartet are now well into their second decade together with their original membership intact. They were first British group to win the Evian/Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition where they were also awarded the Mozart and Contemporary Prizes. In their 10th anniversary year the Quartet were nominated for a Grammy award for their recording of Walton String Quartets. The Quartet gives concerts throughout the British Isles and broadcasts regularly for the BBC, recently recording three programmes in the 'Discovering Music' series. They are frequent visitors to continental Europe and have toured in North and South America and in West Africa. They have played at all of the important Festivals in the UK and at a range of Festivals abroad, from the Prague Spring to New York's "Mostly Mozart". The Quartet are recording artists with BIS Records: in 2005 they released a recording of Sally Beamish and Beethoven and recorded the first disc in a Britten cycle. They also recorded Elgar's Introduction and Allegro with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, released on the Orchestra's series for Apex (Warner Classics). In their first year together the Quartet gave over 50 performances for the organisation 'Live Music Now!' in community venues such as hospices and special needs schools. They have given house concerts in rural Finland and coached young musicians in the Andes. In the UK the Quartet have worked with the Cavatina Chamber Music Trust since it's inception, presenting workshops in primary and secondary schools and at the Royal Welsh College of Music in Cardiff. The Emperor Quartet enjoyed a busy 2004/05 season, giving concerts in France, Belgium and Switzerland. They also played on a Page & Moy Music Cruise in the Baltic and made a return visit to the Kuhmo Chamber Music Festival in Finland. A new Piano Quintet by David Matthews was premiered and recorded by the BBC at Cardiff Coffee Concerts and the Quartet played for the From-Sweden Festival at the Wigmore Hall, presenting works by Swedish composers Wilhelm Stenhammer and Ludwig Norman. They continued to develop their residency at the Royal Welsh College coaching chamber music and, thanks to sponsorship from First Campus, gave concerts and workshops for school children in the South Wales area. Highlights for the 2005/06 season include tours in Canada and Scotland and a series of "anniversary" concerts in collaboration with pianist Leon McCawley featuring the music of Mozart, Shostakovich and Schumann.
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