The Germany-based quartet receives €12,000

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The Velvet Quartet © Sidorela Cuedari

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The 2024 Gianni Bergamo Classic Music Award Chamber Music Competition concluded on 7 September in Lugano, Switzerland. It was open to chamber music ensembles comprising members up to the age of 33.

The first prize of €12,000 was awarded to the Germany-based Velvet Quartet, the second prize of €8,000 to Italy-based Werther Quartet, while the third prize of €5,000 was shared between the Germany-based Davidoff Trio and the Italian-based Trio Sheliak.

The Velvet Quartet was founded in 2020 and comprises violinists Ezgi Su Apaydin and Laura Muskare, violist Patricia Gomez Carretero, and cellist Frederick Winterson. It is currently studying with professor Andreas Reiner at the Folkwang University of the Arts, and has received coaching from the Ébène Quartet, the Modigliani Quartet, Heime Müller of the Artemis Quartet, and Gerhard Schulz from the Alban Berg Quartet, among others. The quartet performs on instruments by luthier Stefan-Peter Greiner, loaned by the Folkwang University of the Arts Foundation.

The jury for this year’s competition comprised Gianni Bergamo, Jürg Dähler, Roberto Plano, Felix Renggli, and Bruno Weinmeister.

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