Biography
Airis String Quartet
- Aleksandra Czajor-Kowalska 1st violin
- Grażyna Zubik 2nd violin
- Malwina Tkaczyk viola
- Mateusz Mańka cello
Airis String Quartet was founded in 2008 in Cracow to pour a very untamed student passion into the modern music . From the very beginning the fascinating field of their musical exploration (even though not a very common for the young string quartet) was music of the Polish contemporary composers with Krzysztof Penderecki at the forefront and the 20th and 21st century’s world music literature. Quite an audacious jump into challenging contemporary repertoire brought the quartet first success at the international competition and audience’s enthusiasm. Student dream about professional string quartet career developed into a fully mature choice of artistic life route.
The ensemble have been actively performing for over 14 years now. Considered to be one of the most interesting Polish string quartets of the young generation, Airis String Quartet is a laureate of many international competitions, scholarships and national artistic grants. The ensemble completed its education in prominent music centres in Europe, recorded numerous CD albums, premiered new compositions, collaborated with outstanding musicians. The Airis String Quartet is distinguished by its extraordinary expression on stage, sincerity of emotions and special sense in performing modern music. The ensemble believes that modern music is naturally a mirror of the time of its creation . Such understanding is key to their successful interpretation of repertoire and captivating performances.
Airis String Quartet founded in 2008 in Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music in Cracow took his first ensemble steps under direction of Dafô Quartet in chamber music and contemporary music department. Less than a half year after coming to an existence Airis achieved the first significant success - II Prize at the International Contemporary Chamber Music Competition in Cracow. This achievement strongly influenced quartets further growth and prompted to search for its own artistic niche.
Following years brought further competition prizes and distinctions such as: Charles Hennen Competition in Holland (EMCY Prize for Excellent Performance, 2012), Malta International Music Competition (3rd prize , 2015), Karol Szymanowski International String Quartet Competition in Katowice (Special Prize for the best XXth Century composition performance , 2017) and Międzynarodowy Ludvig van Beethoven International Chamber Music Competition in Lusławice (Special Prize for the best performance of the Krzysztof Penderecki’s composition, 2017).
Airis String Quartet had mastered their skills also at the ArtEZ Conservatorium Zwolle in Holland under direction of prof. Jeroen Reuling and prof. Sarah Kapustin (Rubens Quartet), Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst in Vienna under direction of prof. Johannes Meissl (Artis Quartet), Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice under direction of prof. Piotr Szumieł (Apollon Musagete Quartet). As a member of the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) , it took part in a number of masterclasses and worked with such outstanding ensembles as Ysaÿe Quartet, Alban Berg Quartet, Melos Quartet, Quatuor Danel, Szymanowski Quartet, Silesian String Quartet, Royal String Quartet and Apollon Musagète Quartett.
Very important role in the quartets education and development played the unique masterclasses of contemporary music performance Diotima Academy in France for string quartets and young composers directed by fantastic French Diotima Quotour. With other two string quartets and three composers they got to stay in a picturesque and peaceful setting of Abbey de Noirlack. Such a cameral setting enabled particularly fruitful exchange of perspectives and different approaches to new music between performers and creators. Ensembles got to know techniques for both performance and notation, developed instrumental skills and precision as well as score interpretation whilst searching for radical sound possibilities of the instrument.
At present quartet members share their experience and passion with younger generation - they teach at the Karol Szymanowski Academy of Music in Katowice, Krzysztof Penderecki Academy of Music and in primary and secondary music schools in Opole, Bytom, Dąbrowa Górnicza and Domosławice.
First years of Airis String Quartets musical activities and development was mostly devoted to the XXth and XXIst century’s music from Shostakovich, Bartók, to atonality, sonorism, aleatorism and newest compositions. The ensemble explored intensively the legacy of Polish local contemporary composers (what resulted in recording the first CD Album released by Cracow Academy Edition containing chamber works of significant Cracow composers Zbigniew Bujarski and Marek Stachowski). Willing to develop as broadly as possible naturally pushed Airis to explore masterpieces of all musical periods, searching for artists and professors who are experts of radical musical styles. Quartet undertook intensive education taking to different international masterclasses, studies in Holland, Belgium, Austria, France, Germany, England, private lessons with respected artists. The ensemble learned about recesses of rhetoric figures in baroque and classical music language, performance aesthetic of French music, interpretation and contexts of romantic and late romantic compositions and finally contemporary music techniques.
Quartet’s musical programme is rich in variety. Composing their concerts repertoire they often juxtapose different musical styles and periods selected on a basis of a dialogue, connections, contexts and contrasts. In contemporary music the ensemble finds freedom, wildness and relevance to current time. It is a blank slate and field for challenges, creative experimentations, an escape route from traditional canons of performing. Classical music in turn, is their sphere of respite, genius balance and space to both ground and develop skills.
Airis String Quartet is constantly searching for new inspirations, space for creative freedom. Eagerly reaches for unknown and unobvious repertoire (e.g. the ensemble recorded CD Album Hartmann devoted to chamber music works by Karl Amadeus Hartmann, forgotten antinazi German composer of the II World War period) and takes to premiere many new music pieces. The ensemble worked with many composers such as: Miłosz Bembinow, Rafał Augustyn, Ib Nørholm, Paweł Łukaszewski, Michał Dobrzyński, Łukasz Pieprzyk, Anders Koppel, Clarck Nichols, Christian Mason. Airis had the honour and pleasure to meet and work twice with a legendary Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki while working on his 2nd and 3rd String Quartet. Those pieces have a special place in quartet’s repertoire and attracted it numerous competition prizes.
Collaboration is an ultimate source of inspiration for Airis String Quartet . Within their bio one can find projects with accordion duo Accosphere, percussion trio Amadrums, vocal ensembles and choirs (those projects resulted in CD Albums like Accordion Anatomy, Airis String Quartet/Amadrums Trio/Łukasz Pieprzyk for instrumental septet and electronics, Ave Maria for girls choir Puellae Orantes and string quartet). Ensemble performs also in quintets with clarinet , saxophone, piano and voice. In 2021 took place a recording session of new compositions by Clark Nichols and Anders Koppel for mandolin and string quartet which Airis got invited to by Israeli mandolin virtuoso Alon Sariel (CD release is planned for Autumn 2022).
Airis String Quartet explores different music genres. They recorded soundtrack for computer games (Kholat, Father and Son), soundtrack for Polish-French documentary movie Dans les pas de Marie Curie directed by Krzysztof Rogulski with music composed by Krzysztof A. Janczak. In 2015 took part in recording session in Miami (Florida) for CD Album Hello of the Daddy’s Cash Band (pop/RnB), and since 2018 Airis cooperates with the ensemble Nocą Umówieni together with whom recorded two albums Nocą umówieni (2018) and Ginczanka (2021) representing music style called lyric fusion influenced by jazz, poetry, classical music and theatre.