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Who are we?

We are born from the need to mix music, culture, and the experience of four musicians, in a new way of making art. A fresh vision regarding the repertoire that focuses on contemporary music, although always in touch with “classical or traditional” repertoire. We are working with new composers as a result of living in the 21st century. We are a new concept in which a quartet of guitars, seen as a miniature orchestra, wanting to go beyond the limits of an instrument that just imitates others. We combine feelings, ideas, and the energy of four very different persons.

Formed in April 2006, its members include Kostas Tosidis, Tanausú Luis Díaz, Giorgos Pervolarakis and Alejandro Diaz Bandrés, all four completing their Masters at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg, Austria after previous studies in their native countries (Spain and Greece).

What do we do?

We work in an innovative project in which the guitar quartet presents a fresh program for the public while remaining serious in content. We would like to remain faithful to contemporary repertoire, therefore we continue to study known works as well keep motivating composers to write for our group. We think of the quartet as a formation of musicians with great potential as well as collaborators with other instruments and other forms of art, such as dance or applied art. We would like to keep an open attitude to other possibilities of development that are still waiting to be discovered and cultivated.

At the moment, our program is formed by pieces already composed and known by Dusan Bogdánovic, Leonardo Ballada, Daniel Bernard Rouman (Dbr) and Ian Krause… At the same time, we are working with other composers like Agustín Castilla-Ávila and Joannous Ellia who have written music dedicated to us such as “Cage music 4” and “Staubzucker”.

Presently, we are cooperating with the choreographers Jule Flierl and SEAD (Salzburg Experimental Academy of Dance) in a piece that corporate our own training and contemporary dance in an innovative way. The music was composed for us by Agustín Castilla-Ávila and the piece was performed in January at the “Republic” Hall in Salzburg

We plan to record the pieces “Staubzucker” and "Apophis" by Elia Joannou for the Institute of Polyesthetic Art in Salzburg at the television studio ORF (Austrian Television)

What have we done?

The quartet really began to work in April of 2007, taking classes from Mathias Seidel, Eliot Fisk, Marco Tamayo, Isabel Siewers, Simone Fontanelli and Martin Mumelter, all active professors at the Mozarteum University. (Salzburg, Austria)

• Salzburg. Schloss Leopoldskron (Oct 2007), as part of “Salzburg Seminar 2007”’s program
• Salzburg. Mozarteum University – Solitär Hall. Concert in honor of contemporary music organized by the Institute of Polyesthetic Arts in Austria. (Oct 2007)
• Brno (Check Republic). University of Brno at the Department of Music Hudební (Nov 2007)
• Salzburg, Austria. Mozarteum University – Solitär Hall. (Nov 2007).
• Veria, Greece. A Concert within the Annual Guitar Festival (Nov 2007)
• Salzburg, Austria. Republic Hall in the dance festival, ” New Faces New Dancers” (January 2008)
• Laufen, Germany, in the Laufen Guitar festival (March 2008)
• Madrid, Spain. Carlos III University. Comment concerts organized by IberCaja.(April 2008).

Awards

• 3rd prize in the 18th International Chamber Music of Thessaloniki, Greece, December 2008.
• 3rd prize in the VII International Chamber Music Guitar Competition Luys Millán, December 2008.
• 1st Place in the Savarez-Corelli competition of guitar chamber music. Austria (June 2008).
• 1st Prize in the Contemporary Music Interpretation Competition of Salzburg (April 2008)
• Special Prize in the Contemporary Music Interpretation Competition of Salzburg (April 2008)
• 2nd Place (1st desierto) at the 17th Annual Competition of International Chamber Music in Thessalonica, Greece. (December 2007).
• 2nd Place in the Savarez-Corelli competition of guitar chamber music. Austria (June 2007).