Bosphorus String Quartet

Bosphorus String Quartet

Seda SUBAŞI (1. Violin)

A. Ceren GÜRKAN (2. Violin)

Deniz YÜCEL (Viola)

Rahşan APAY (Cello)

The Bosphorus String Quartet, sometimes referred as the Bosphorus Quartet (former Istanbul Quartet) was founded in 1992 with the initiative of Seda Subaşı, the concertmaster of the Istanbul State Opera Orchestra. After their formation, they received a long term scholarship from Accademia Musicale Chigiana. Upon their graduation with “honour diploma” from the program in 1996, they were invited to Schola di Musica di Fiesole for studies in musical interpretation and technical merits through the invitation of Piero Farulli, the violist of the renowned Quartetto Italiana. In 1999, they were invited by the Takacs Quartet, resident quartet of the Colorado University to USA where they gave concerts during the quartet symposium. Later, they participated in the Orlando Music Festival in Holland with two performances. In the same year, their intensive course in Moscow with the Borodin Quartet led them to the semi-finals at the “5th Schostakovich Quartet Competition” and received critical acclaim for their interpretation of the composer’s Piano Quintet. Their recording comprising all Brahms Quartets was accepted as outstanding by the critics as well as the classical music circles. Since to date they performed at the Istanbul, Izmir and Eskişehir International Music Festivals, Çanakkale Music Festival and were invited by the Como Festival in Italy, besides their regular concerts in Istanbul. Among the names they played together, Idil Biret, Peter Jablonski and Halit Turgay are first to remember. Also they have recently performed Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro with the Akbank Chamber Orchestra, where two of the Quartet’s members are group leaders at the same orchestra. In June 2008 the Bosphorus String Quartet appeared within the project "Music Bridge across Armenia-Turkey border" supported by the Eurasia Foundation with funding from the USAID giving the concert in Yerevan, whilst in its turn the Komitas Quartet of Armenia appeared in Istanbul within the same project. The Bosphorus String Quartet is represented by the Orion Production, Concert Promotion and Artist Management from Istanbul, Turkey.