Banff International String Quartet Competition

09/04/2026

Tonight marks opening night of the Banff International String Quartet Festival! While the festival officially begins tonight, our artists have been arriving all week and have been hard at work rehearsing for an incredible week of music.

Here’s a sneak peek at rehearsals for Copland’s Appalachian Spring and new dance works by Neshama Nashman, happening Saturday at 8 p.m. Bringing dance into a BISQFest performance is a first for the festival, and we can’t wait to see it come to life on the Jenny Belzberg Theatre stage.

📸Rita Taylor

1. Dance Irene Yang
2. Choreographer Neshama Nashman speaking with musicians Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal of Opus13
3. Dancer Irene Yang with musicians
4. Choreographer Neshama Nashman speaking with dancer Irene Yang and musicians
5. Dancer Irene Yang with choreographer Neshama Nashman with Opus13 in background (Sonoko Miriam Welde, Edvard Erdal, Albin Uusijavi, Daniel Thorell)
6. Dancer Irene Yang with choreographer Neshama Nashman; musicians in background
7. Dancer Irene Yang with choreographer Neshama Nashman; singers Krisztina Szabo, Katie Kirkpatrick, Maeve Palmer, and Opus13 in background (Sonoko Miriam Welde, Edvard Erdal)

09/02/2026

"It is certainly my pleasure that the performance is taking place in Canada, my second home. And there is the additional pleasure that the performance is in Banff," shared composer Gavin Bryars in this recent interview with The Violin Channel about his work being premiered at this year's BISQFest.
Mr. Bryars reminisced about spending a two week residency at Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in 2010 working on his opera "Marilyn Forever" with the Aventa Ensemble of Victoria BC. "I composed at great speed in one of the cabins in the woods, the furthest from the main campus. I was confronted by a very large elk as I went to my cabin for the first time – just one of my experiences of the stunning Banff environment..."
https://www.banffcentre.ca/bisqfest

Among other works, Bryars’ new Harpsichord Quintet will receive its Canadian premiere at the festival by the Afiara Quartet and Jeanie Chung.

08/29/2026

What a delightful way to start the weekend indeed!

08/28/2026

Such a fun and wonderful passing of the torch! Bravo to both these fabulous quartets!

08/27/2026

Before the St. Lawrence String Quartet became an internationally celebrated ensemble, they were four musicians taking the stage in Banff.

With the Banff International String Quartet Festival just one week away, we’re throwing it back to 1992 and the 4th Banff International String Quartet Competition, where the quartet won first prize for their performance of Marjan Mozetich’s Lament in the Trampled Garden.

Pictured from left to right are Geoff Nuttall (violin), Barry Shiffman (violin), Marina Hoover (cello), and Lesley Robertson (viola).

Formed in Toronto in 1989, the quartet went on to win first prize at the Young Concert Artists International Auditions, a Juno Award and a Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik, while collaborating with some of the world’s most celebrated musicians. For 35 years, they performed and recorded music around the world, with Banff remaining an important part of their story.

The Banff International String Quartet Competition has been helping emerging ensembles find their footing and build lasting careers for nearly 40 years. Today, Barry Shiffman is continuing that legacy in a different role as Director of the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Festival. From competitor to leader, his connection to the competition is a reminder of the lasting impact Banff can have on an artist’s journey.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet is just one of the many remarkable stories that began here.

08/24/2026

What a wonderful recognition of Poiesis Quartet artistry and hard work - so proud of this quartet!

Yesterday, we received the Cleveland Quartet Award in Chicago, presented to us by the previous winners - the Balourdet Quartet - during the Chamber Music America Conference! It is an honor to be recognized in this way.

Three of our members, Sarah, Coco, and Jasper, studied and worked with Donald Weilerstein. The contributions of the Cleveland Quartet have shaped our quartet's identity and ethos in immeasurable ways, and it is humbling to be featured alongside so many mentors and colleagues in this legacy and tradition. We're excited to continue on our mission in expanding, diversifying, and challenging the canon through exploring and platforming new, non-traditional, and commissioned works and multi/interdisciplinary projects!

Thank you to CMA, MKI Artists, Banff International String Quartet Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Association, Concert Artists Guild, Oberlin Conservatory, University of Cincinnati, and Curtis Institute of Music!!

08/24/2026

Calling all quartet for this incredible opportunity with the Seattle Chamber Music Society - applications close Oct 1 --> https://bit.ly/4gfRIl6

📢 Seattle Chamber Music Society invites applications for its 2027–2028 String Quartet in Residence Program!

In 2025, SCMS welcomed the acclaimed Balourdet Quartet as its first String Quartet in Residence. Following a successful inaugural season, the Quartet returns in 2026–2027 for a second year of community partnerships, family concerts, recitals, festival performances, and more.

As we look ahead, SCMS is now accepting applications from string quartets to become our next String Quartet in Residence for the 2027–2028 season.

Learn more at https://sbrew.link/ztvhWFHb

08/21/2026

A little trip down memory lane! 🎻 Let’s look back at the last time we welcomed the Banff International String Quartet Festival in 2024, before getting ready for this year’s festival, happening September 3–6, 2026.

A few favourite moments from 2024: our wonderful audience, the Viano Quartet, and our unforgettable first string orchestra concert in the Jenny Belzberg Theatre, featuring James Ehnes and the Ehnes Quartet with the Banff Festival Orchestra.

This year, expect the familiar magic of world-class musicians alongside experiences that go beyond the traditional concert hall. Look forward to intimate performances, creative collaborations, new dance works, and experiences that bring audiences closer to the music and musicians.

Highlights include performances by Opus13, Steven Isserlis & Connie Shih, and Jan Lisiecki, along with Barry Shiffman and Neshama Nashman’s new dance works.

If these photos from 2024 bring back a few memories, consider this your invitation to make some new ones this year.