General Management
Since its foundation in Barcelona in 2014, the Cosmos Quartet has become one of the most interesting and sought after string quartets of its generation. Their critically acclaimed performances, with repertoire spanning from the 18th century to the present day, have been described as honest, elegant, expressive and captivating.
The Cosmos Quartet performs regularly at the most important concert halls and festivals of Spain, such as the String Quartet Biennal organized by L’Auditori Barcelona and Cuarteto Casals, Liceo de Cámara at Auditorio Nacional in Madrid presented by CNDM, Festival de Granada, Schubertíada de Vilabertran, Círculo de Cámara at Círculo de Bellas Artes in Madrid, Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, Festival de Peralada, Festival Bal y Gay in Galícia, Festival Otoño Musical Soriano in Soria, Quincena Musical de Donostiarra, Festival de Torroella de Montgrí, Ciclo de Música de Cámara Espacio Turina in Seville and Festival Atrium Musicae in Cáceres among others.
From 2021-2024, the Cosmos Quartet was resident ensemble at the Palau de la Música Catalana in Barcelona, performing eight recitals dedicated to the quartets of Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms and Anton Webern.
Internationally they have been invited to perform at Wigmore Hall in London, the Streichquartettfest in Heidelberg, Philarmonie in París, Palais des Beaux Arts in Brussels, Konzerthaus in Berlin, SWR in Köln, Festival Music Plus in Innsbruck, t“Gent Festival van Vlaanderen in Belgium, East Neuk Festival in Edinburgh and the MUSIC4L-MENTE Festival in Portugal.
As members of the “European Chamber Music Academy” ECMA, they worked regularly with Hatto Beyerle and Johannes Meissl; they also obtained a master’s degree at the “Hochschule für Musik Theater und Medien Hannover” with Prof. Oliver Wille. Other influential mentors have included Alfred Brendel, Rainer Schmidt, Jonathan Brown, Patrik Jüdt, Alasdair Tait, Krzysztof Chorzelski and David Watkin among others.
Quickly after its founding, the Cosmos Quartet gained international recognition, winning First Prize at the Competition Irene Steels - Wilsing Foundation 2018 in Heidelberg, First Prize at the 13th Premi BBVA de Música de Cambra Montserrat Alavedra 2018, along with Third Prize at the International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition 2019 in Weimar, and Third Prize at the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition 2015 in Copenhagen.
Their interest and commitment with contemporary music have led Cosmos to premiere works by Raquel García-Tomás, Joan Magrané, Octavi Rumbau, Mauricio Sotelo, Benet Casablancas, Jörg Widmann, Bernat Vivancos, Manuel Rodríguez Valenzuela, Montserrat Lladó, Sky Macklay and Yair Klartag among others. This music is now an integral part of their repertoire, and as such they have performed in the “Sampler Sèries” a l’Auditori de Barcelona, the “Series 20/21” in Madrid (CNDM) and “Out-Side” in Barcelona.
Their numerous collaborations include pianists Alexei Volodin, Juan Pérez Floristán and Varvara Nepomnyashchaya, the Quiroga Quartet, cellists Lluís Claret, Arnau Tomàs Fernando Arias and Erica Wise, violist Jonathan Brown, clarinetist Miquel Ramos, soprano Katharina Konradi, and baritone Konstantin Krimmel.
In May 2019, the Cosmos Quartet released their first recording under the Seed Music label, the beginning of the “Influences” trilogy, dedicated to Brahms’ three quartets as a central axis and set in dialogue with works by Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, along with three commissions from composers Raquel García-Tomás, Octavi Rumbau, and Manuel Rodríguez Valenzuela. This trilogy was completed in 2024. That same year, they also released the album Solitude, in collaboration with soprano Katharina Konradi.
In 2022, the quartet was invited to perform on the celebrated Stradivari instruments of the Spanish Royal Collection in the chamber music series at the Royal Palace of Madrid, a performance they will repeat in September 2025.
The ensemble usually performs on instruments built especially for them by the renowned Barcelona-based luthier David Bagué.
