“… Sound quality, impeccable together and

commitment to making the dialogue between the instruments intelligible ... "

(Gaetano Santangelo, Amadeus)

 

 

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The Indaco Quartet was born to embody the ultimate expression of the concept of four paths.
Paths rooted deeply in the past and in the passions of each of its members. A love for exploration, the diversity of genres, and the myriad facets of voices from today, yesterday, and the future is the constant driving force that the Indaco Quartet brings to the many stages they perform on, with sincerity, freshness, and dedication.

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The quartet is experienced by its members as an artistic and social laboratory, a circle that includes all those who have accompanied it on its journey.

On May 18, 2023, after four rounds of competition involving ten quartets from around the world, the Indaco Quartet won the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan. This competition, one of the most prestigious in the international landscape and among the few quartet competitions recognized by the World Federation of International Music Competitions, awarded the Italian ensemble the First Prize and two additional special prizes.

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This victory is historic: it marks the first time an Italian quartet has won First Prize at one of the major string quartet competitions. It is a testament to the high level now achieved by Italian musicians, as well as the creativity and vibrant artistic freedom of the Indaco Quartet, which impressed the international jury chaired by renowned Japanese cellist T. Tsutsumi.

Comprising Eleonora Matsuno and Ida Di Vita on violins, Jamiang Santi on viola, and Cosimo Carovani on cello, the quartet triumphed at the Osaka International Competition in 2023 (winning the gold medal and two additional prizes). This event is a milestone in the history of Italian quartets and establishes the group as one of the most interesting and versatile ensembles of its generation, achieving international recognition with great authority, strength, and vitality.

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Each member of the quartet has a diverse background, spanning teaching, early music, and leading roles in orchestras.

Another unique aspect of the quartet is having a "composer-in-residence," none other than the group's cellist, who actively writes pieces tailored to the ensemble. This includes original compositions and arrangements for the many projects the quartet is always keen to develop, chief among them the “Moto Contrario” project. Focused on mental disabilities, this initiative is sponsored by the European platform MERITA and developed in collaboration with visual artist Letizia Castellano. It explores a narrative journey between the story of Robert Schumann and that of Anglo-Korean violinist Sarah Kim-Cross, who has sought to raise awareness about her painful journey through illness and its implications.

One of the quartet’s great missions, beyond teaching at major state institutions, is to recreate and rediscover the experience of chamber music by bringing it to unconventional venues—such as prisons—and working with schools and businesses. They use the quartet as a metaphor for listening, growth, acceptance, and open sharing.

The quartet is also the promoter of the Qu.B.E. (Quartet Based Ensemble) format, in collaboration with the Milan Classica Orchestra, where it has been the quartet-in-residence since 2017. This initiative combines deep knowledge of chamber orchestras with that of the quartet, focusing on adaptation and deepening the repertoire for string orchestra.

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With powerful communication and a distinctive vision of repertoire, the quartet collaborates actively with prominent artists such as Alexander Lonquich, Alessandro Taverna, Giovanni Bietti, David Krakauer, Mao Fujita, Avi Avital, Julian Bliss, Uri Caine, and Claudia Barainsky.

Born in the Italian cradle of the quartet tradition at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, thanks to the guidance of Piero Farulli, the quartet pursued academic training with their mentor Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartet) and honed their art with great figures of the quartet world, such as Günter Pichler (Primarius Alban Berg Quartet), Reiner Schmidt (Hagen Quartet), and the revered German quartet guru Eberhard Feltz.

The Indaco Quartet is a Pirastro Artist.

In 2025, they will debut at Santa Cecilia in Rome and at Wigmore Hall in London.

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Eleonora Matsuno plays a 1869 J.B. Vuillaume violin that once belonged to Paolo Borciani, the legendary first violinist of the Quartetto Italiano, on loan from a private collector.
Ida Di Vita plays an anonymous violin from 1832.
Jamiang Santi plays a viola crafted specifically for him in 2019 by Polish luthier Adam Stalmach.
Cosimo Carovani plays a Charles Claudot cello from 1840, his own instrument.