Gala Concert

Gala Concert

During their stay in Venezuela, the Cuarteto Latinoamericano gave a gala concert at the Center for Social Action through Music. The concert repertoire included the String Quartet No. 17 in B-flat major K. 458 "The Hunt" by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, and the String Quartet N° 2 by the Brazilian composer Francisco Mignone, both performed during the first part of the concert. Later, the ensemble played Arturo Márquez’s Homenaje a Gismonti, and Alberto Ginastera’s String Quartet N° 1 which was composed especially for the Cuarteto Latinoamericano.

Over a quarter century of artistic excellence

Over a quarter century of artistic excellence

Since forming in 1982 the Cuarteto Latinoamericano has focused on diffusing the string quartet repertoire by Latin American composers. The ensemble consists of the three Bitrán brothers, violinists Saúl and Arón and cellist Alvaro, together with violist Javier Montiel. The Cuarteto Latinoamericano has been hailed by the London Times as “possessing an instinct that definitely ranks it among the most important string quartets”, and the Houston Chronicle described them as one of the best string quartets they have heard in years.

They have won many prizes such as the Mexican Critics Association’s annual award and special recognition; the Mozart Medal granted by the Austrian embassy in Mexico, the Domecq Cultural Institute, and the Academia Medalla Mozart. The ensemble has toured extensively in Europe, North, Central and South America, as well as New Zealand and Israel; and was in residence at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh from 1987 to 2007.

They were awarded a major grant by the Mexican National Fund for Culture that allowed them to develop an intense educational program in Mexico’s major professional schools of music.

The members of the ensemble teach chamber music and give conferences on Latin American music at very important universities of the United States and Canada.

They have released over 40 discs and have recorded most of the Latin American repertoire for string quartet. TheCuarteto Latinoamericano records for Elan, New Albion, Quindecim, Luzam, Urtext, Albany, Innova, Opción Sónica, and Dorian Recordings. The Villa Lobos anthology of 17 string quartets is recorded on 6 volumes for Dorian Recordings and has recently been re-released as a box set by Brilliant Classics. Volume 6 was nominated for a Grammy award in 2002 in the field of Best Chamber Music Recording, as well as for a Latin Grammy.

They have performed in New Zealand (Wellington Festival), Milan (Teatro alla Scala), Amsterdam, Bonn, Brussels, Luxembourg, Montreal, Madrid, Buenos Aires, Caracas, Los Angeles, Miami, Boston, Washington, and New York (Carnegie Hall).

The Cuarteto Latinoamericano’s members serve as directors of El Sistema’s Latin American String Quartet Academy.