Eric Lacrouts - Violin

Bleuenn Le Maitre - Violin

Cécile Grassi - Alto

Guillaume Martigné - Cello

 

"One of the best young string ensembles in Europe" according to the Times, the Psophos Quartet (from the Greek "sound event") is undoubtedly a leading name in the European music landscape.

 

Created in 1997 at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, he continued his training with the Ysaÿe Quartet at the Conservatoire Supérieur de Paris and the great quartettist Walter Levin in Basel, who marked him with his passion, his commitment and his musical demands. The Quartet has perfected its skills in numerous masterclasses within ProQuartet.

 

First Grand Prize in the International String Quartet Competition in Bordeaux in 2001, the Psophos Quartet is invited to prestigious venues such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam or the Wigmore Hall in London. The Folles Journées (Nantes, Tokyo, Lisbon), the Prom's and many other renowned festivals enrich his career. This is how he shares the stage with beautiful musical personalities such as Cédric Tiberghien, Emmanuelle Bertrand, Vladimir Mendelssohn, Renaud and Gauthier Capuçon, Nicholas Angelich, Bertrand Chamayou, Nemanja Radulovic... During its tours in Europe, Asia, Africa, the United States and the Middle East, the ensemble gives numerous master classes to share its experience.

 

The Psophos Quartet welcomed two new members in 2009: Eric Lacrouts (violin) and Guillaume Martigné (cello). A change that was enriching both humanly and musically. The balance of these new forces has given the whole a serenity that perpetuates its maturity and quality.

 

First French quartet selected from the prestigious New Generation Artists of BBC Radio 3 in London, nominated in January 2005 for the Victoires de la musique, the ensemble has recorded numerous records, all of which have received awards from music critics, including a "Choc" from Le Monde de la Musique and 5/5 from Diapason for Maurice Ohana's quartets. Another recording with the first quartets of Brahms and Dohnanyi and the album "Chansons perpétuelles", the result of a magnificent collaboration with the Canadian contralto Marie-Nicole Lemieux, were released in 2014.

 

Curiosity drives the Psophos Quartet to meet new artists, dancers, actors and directors. For three years, the Quatuor Psophos was in residence at the Athénée Théâtre Louis Jouvet in Paris where it presented its own series of chamber music concerts. He performs at the Théâtre National de Chaillot and the Opéra de Lyon, notably alongside choreographer Philippe Decouflé. A new show with Christophe Malavoy "Qui se souviendra" was given in 2014-2015 in Paris and the provinces. The meeting with Jean-Marie Machado and Dave Liebman gave birth to the creation of the show "Painting notes in the air", leading the musicians of the Quartet into jazz territory.