Quarteto de Cordas de Matosinhos
chosen as one of the ECHO Rising Stars
The QCM also performs in the largest Portuguese concert halls and collaborates with some of the most outstanding Portuguese musicians.
Acclaimed as a singular case of excellence (Diana Ferreira, Público, 2010), the Matosinhos String Quartet (QCM) was created by the Matosinhos City Council through a public competition. Since 2008, it has been a resident of this city, where it performs a regular season of concerts.
The QCM was chosen as one of the ECHO Rising Stars (2014/2015), nominated by the “Casa da Música” (Porto) and the Gulbenkian Foundation, performing a tour of 16 concerts in some of the most important European concert halls, such as the Barbican in London, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Philharmonies of Hamburg and Cologne, and the Konzerthaus in Dortmund. They also regularly perform in Portugal’s major concert halls, such as “Casa da Música”, the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, and the “Centro Cultural de Belém”, and collaborate with some of Portugal’s most distinguished musicians, including Pedro Burmester, António Rosado, Miguel Borges Coelho, António Saiote, Paulo Gaio Lima, and Pedro Carneiro.
The QCM and its members have been recognized with awards in the most important national music competitions, such as the RDP Young Musicians Award and the International Chamber Music Competition “Cidade de Alcobaça”. All members studied at the National Superior Academy of Orchestra and furthered their art in various prestigious schools, including the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofia (Madrid), Northwestern University (Chicago), and the Conservatoire de Sion (Switzerland).
The QCM also received specialized training at the International Chamber Music Institute in Madrid, where they studied with Rainer Schmidt (violinist of the Hagen Quartet) and worked in masterclasses with members of major string quartets, such as Alban Berg, Lasalle, Emerson, Melos, Vermeer, Kopelman, and Talich.
More recently, the QCM released the CD “Raízes,” an album that celebrates the Portuguese heritage through unique and original compositions for a string quartet, edited by NAXOS. Inspired by the tradition of our country, four renowned composers, Eurico Carrapatoso, Telmo Marques, Sérgio Azevedo, and Fernando Lapa, transport us to the world of traditional music, from Miranda to our islands, through new sounds in the light of contemporary musical writing.
