Škampa Quartet

The Škampa Quartet is amongst the finest of an outstanding group of Czech string quartets that have represented their country in major concert halls around the world for twenty-five years.

Through their mentors, the legendary Smetana Quartet, they trace their roots to the earliest quartets – such as the Bohemian Quartet – in a land described in the 18th century as the ‘Conservatoire of Europe’ and that remains, to this day, the very cradle of European Chamber Music.

To this innate musicality they have added their own particular research to inform their understanding of the folk-song, poetry, rhythms and dance from which their native music grew – to the extent that their recordings of quartets by Janáček and Smetana in particular have become benchmarks against which other performances are judged.

Prizes at international competitions, awards from the Royal Philharmonic Society and others, and an appointment as the first-ever Resident Artists at the Wigmore Hall marked the success of their early years, leading to invitations to perform at major international festivals including Prague Spring, Schwetzingen, Edinburgh, Schleswig- Holstein and Melbourne. These engagements have included collaborations with many fine, internationally recognised artists, including Melvyn Tan, Itamar Golan, Josef Suk, Michael Collins, Kathryn Stott and Janine Jansen among many others.

From the beginning the quartet has established a close relationship with BBC Radio 3, resulting in regular broadcasts from Wigmore Hall, St John’s Smith Square, LSO St Luke’s and the Chamber Music Proms.

The Škampa Quartet members have been award-winning recording artists for Supraphon for most of their career. They are now also among the elite artists whose performances have been selected for release on the Wigmore Hall Live label, and now, for Champs Hill Records.