Quatuor Mona
The Mona Quartet was born from a diverse group of young women from all over the world. Uniting Latvian, French, American and Korean backgrounds, they have thus created their own musical language. Founded in 2018 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, they began their musical journey with eminent professors such as Günter Pichler at the Madrid International Institute of Chamber Music of the Reina Sofía School of Music (where they study since 2019), François Salque at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris, as well as receiving guidance from Luc-Marie Aguera, Mathieu Herzog and the Modigliani Quartet. It was also the meeting of artistic personalities like Éric Le Sage, Emmanuel Pahud, Paul Meyer, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Kyril Zlotnikov on the occasion of various collaborations, which influenced their musical career. It was just the beginning of their career that pianist and composer, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, mesmerized by their musical language, dedicated his piece “Prélude à cordes” to the young quartet and invited them to perform at the Royal Theatre in Brussels, broadcasted live on Musiq3 during the Classissimo Festival.
The quartet has taken over the great classical concert halls of Paris on several occasions, such as the Pierre Boulez hall of the Philharmonie de Paris, the Châtelet Theater, the Cortot Hall and the Petit Palais, as well as prestigious festivals such as the Rencontres Musicales d' Evian, Salon de Provence Festival, Quatuors à Bordeaux, Heidelberger Frühling Festival, Preludes de Pont Aven, Les Vacances de Monsieur Haydn, Festival Debussy, Festival de Dinard, and the Edinburgh International Festival. They have also played at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg, Luxemburg Philharmonie and the String Quartet Biennial at the Philharmonie de Paris, Quartettissimo in Budapest, Icking Festival and many others. The quartet is laureate of the 3rd Tremplin de la Phiharmonie de Paris and was awarded the Prix du Méjan and the Orangerie de Sceaux during its participation in the Ravel Festival.
Elina, Charlotte, Arianna and Christine are extremely curious about the various possible forms of artistic achievement. Their common passion for the string quartet repertoire but also the versatility of their international careers is what brought them together within the Mona Quartet. The transversality of artistic disciplines is the heart of the quartet. In January 2022, the quartet presented a Czech cine-concert of an animated film by Znedek Miler at the Philharmonie de Paris. They are constantly balancing the study of the established repertoire and the rediscovery of lesser-known works such as those of Germaine Tailleferre, Vitezlsava Kapralova and other forgotten female composers. Enthusiasts of the close work between composer and interpreter, they recently worked with composer Jörg Widmann on his "Jagd Quartett" on the occasion of the Heidelberg Frühling Festival 2021, as well as with Kaija Saariaho on her “Terra Memoria.” Other projects the quartet will be presenting during the season include a show around "unfinished" works with Jean-Francois Zygel, as well as a France Culture creation adapted from "The Great Gatsby" by Francis Scott Fitzgerald at the Théâtre du Châtelet, at the crossroads of jazz, classical music, pop and hip hop, set to music by Issam Krimi. In 2023, they will work with Éric Montalbetti around his quartet Harmonieuses Dissonances which will take place at the Volcan du Havre.
The quartet is also artist in residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation in Paris, the Villa Musica Foundation in Germany and the Dimore Del Quartetto in Italy. Aware of the need to bring music to all audiences, including hospitals, nursing homes and those of disadvantaged backgrounds, their partnership with Proquartet and Live Music Now is also particularly close to their hearts.