The Strad Magazine
18 Jun 2024
The Fibonacci Quartet wins 1st Prize and Audience Prize the 13th ‘Premio Paolo Borciani’ International String Quartet Competition concluded on 16 June at the Romolo Valli Theatre in Reggio Emilia, Italy.
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The final round of the 13th ‘Premio Paolo Borciani’ International String Quartet Competition concluded on 16 June at the Romolo Valli Theatre in Reggio Emilia, Italy. First prize was awarded to the Spain/UK-based Fibonacci Quartet, receiving a €25,000 cash prize, an artistic residency in Reggio Emilia for the 2024 – 2026 seasons, and an international tour coordinated by Lorenzo Baldrighi Artists Management in collaboration with Konzertdirektion Hampl. The quartet also received the audience prize of €2,000. Second prize of €10,000 went to the South Korea-based Eden Quartet, who also received the Under-20 prize of €1,000. The third prize of €5,000 was won by the UK-based Elmore quartet.
The €3,000 special prize for the best performance of a new commissioned string quartet by Gérard Pesson was awarded to the Ast Quartet, while the Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland prize went to the Eos Quartet, receiving a scholarship worth €6,000 to attend the 2025 International Chamber Music Campus Schloss. Special mention was also made of the Arete Quartet, ‘for the unique voice they have shown in the first three rounds of the Premio Borciani 2024’.
The Fibonacci Quartet was established in 2019 at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London and is currently a resident ensemble at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia, and has recently joined the Young Concert Artists Trust 2024 roster of artists. It has won the first prize in competitions including the Royal Overseas League International Chamber Music Competition, the Cavatina Chamber Music Competition, and the International Triomphe de l’Art Competition, among other awards and prizes. The quartet has received training from ensembles including the Brodsky, Endellion, and Castalian quartets, and has performed in prestigious venues including Wigmore Hall and Conway Hall in London, UK, Auditorio Sony in Madrid, Spain, and the Museo del Violino in Cremona, Italy. The Fibonacci Quartet comprises Belgian violinist Luna De Mol, 21, Czech violinist Kryštof Kohout, 23, Welsh violist Elliot Kempton, 24, and Scottish cellist Findlay Spence, 26.
The competition was created in 1987 in honour of the Italian Quartet’s founding first violinist Paolo Borciani (1922–1985) and takes place every three years. Previous winners include the Keller Quartet, Artemis Quartet, Kuss Quartet, Pavel Haas Quartet, Bennewitz Quartet, and the Kelemen Quartet.
This year’s jury comprised Lorenza Borrani, Kim Kashkashian, Garth Knox, Jonas Krejci, John Myerscough, Abel Tomas, with Sonia Simmenauer as president of the jury.