Banff, Alberta, August 25, 2013 - The Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC) kicks off six days of intense concert rounds today at Banff Centre, with ten of the world’s finest emerging string quartets. Music fans from around the world have come to Banff to experience the full week of competition, and Banff Centre will reach a much larger, global audience through live streaming and daily online coverage of BISQC.
During the competition, August 26 to September 1, each of the ten quartets will perform a range of repertoire in multiple performances before a dedicated audience of more than 900. Works performed will include repertoire of classical, Romantic, and 20th century music, as well as a new work by Canadian composer Vivian Fung, co-commissioned by Banff Centre and CBC. Three quartets will be chosen on August 31 to perform a work of Beethoven in the final round on Sunday, September 1, which will wrap up with the RBC Awards.
In partnership with Banff Centre’s Film and Media department, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) will deliver competition coverage to listeners ? live streaming, interviews, competition highlights and updates by CBC hosts Paolo Pietropaolo, host of In Concert, and Julie Nesrallah, host of Tempo. CBC will live stream video of each recital round, and provide interviews and updates online at cbcmusic.ca/bisqc. Banff Centre will also be providing daily audio, video (in partnership with Riddle Films), and photography of BISQC through the Banff Centre blog.
Created in 1983 to mark the 50th anniversary of Banff Centre and presented every three years, BISQC is recognized as one of the world’s leading international music competitions. The competition is open to quartets of all nationalities whose members are all under the age of 35. The RBC Awards include more than $250,000 in cash and prizes, including the offer of a Banff Centre residency and CD recording, a set of bows by internationally-renowned Canadian bow maker François Malo, and a recital tour of Europe and North America.
The quartets selected to compete in 2013 include the Anima Quartet (Russia/China), Attacca Quartet (USA), Calidore String Quartet (USA/Canada), Dover Quartet (USA), Gémeaux Quartett (Switzerland), Linden String Quartet (USA/Canada), Navarra Quartet (UK/Ireland/the Netherlands), Noga Quartet (France/Israel), Quatuor Cavatine (France), and the Schumann Quartett (Germany).
About Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity: Banff Centre's mission is inspiring creativity. Thousands of artists, leaders, and researchers from across Canada and around the world participate in programs at Banff Centre every year. Through its multidisciplinary programming, Banff Centre provides the support needed to create, to develop solutions, and to make the impossible possible. Moving forward, the Centre will disseminate art and ideas developed in Banff through initiatives in digital, web, radio, and broadcast media.
About BISQC: Founded in 1983 to mark the 50th anniversary of Banff Centre, BISQC is a triennial competition that brings together a remarkably dedicated classical music audience, and helps support emerging careers. Recognized by the World Federation of International Music Competitions, it is among the top events of its kind. Past winners have included the St. Lawrence, Miró, Daedalus, Jupiter, TinAlley, and Cecilia String Quartets. BISQC takes place in the beautiful setting of Banff, Canada’s first National Park, and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
About RBC's Commitment to Community and Sustainability: Royal Bank of Canada (RY on TSX and NYSE) and its subsidiaries operate under the master brand name RBC. We are Canada’s largest bank as measured by assets and market capitalization, and are among the largest banks in the world, based on market capitalization. We are one of North America’s leading diversified financial services companies, and provide personal and commercial banking, wealth management services, insurance, and investor services and wholesale banking on a global basis. We employ approximately 80,000 full- and part-time employees who serve more than 15 million personal, business, public sector and institutional clients through offices in Canada, the U.S. and 44 other countries. For more information, please visit rbc.com.RBC supports a broad range of community initiatives through donations, sponsorships and employee volunteer activities. In 2012, we contributed more than $95 million to causes worldwide, including donations and community investments of more than $64 million and $31 million in sponsorships.
Additional funding for BISQC comes from the Freeze Family Career Development Fund and the Aurora Fund of Banff Centre. The BISQC Commissioned Piece is supported by Banff Centre and the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation.