New Podcast Series: Behind the Curtains with the MERITA Quartets

News | August 14, 2024

We are thrilled to announce our new podcast series, where week by week we take you closer to the artistic heartbeat of the MERITA Quartets & Residency. Each episode features an intimate conversation with the quartets that have amazed audiences with innovative projects. From personal stories to artistic revelations, the podcasts give a sneak into what happens behind the curtain of quartets redefining chamber music.

Meet the Quartets

Already in the news section, one can find episodes with various string quartets: Adorno, Alinde, Wassily, Akela, Antarja, and Airis. Each ensemble shares its artistic journey and how the residency with the MERITA Project made musicians think beyond the boundaries and opened up new horizons.

In the podcasts, Quartetto Adorno talks about creating a historic and contemporary repertoire and further developing their performance techniques. Alinde Quartet presents innovative approaches to audience interaction and performance to seek new definitions of classical music experiences. Wassily Quartet discusses immersive audience engagement, whereby they work towards creating a much closer connection with the people through their music. Akela Quartet shares its working on internal communication and audience connection to break traditional boundaries. The Antarja Quartet shares some views on their special project connecting music with visual art through audience participation. Reflections by the Airis Quartet on their experiments with flexible performance spaces and interactive elements refresh the classical concert format.

Akela Quartet at Pałac Radziejowice, 20 January 2024

Residency Highlights

One of the important topics discussed in the podcasts are MERITA Artistic Residencies, with each of them being transformative in nature, rich with experiments, and artistic growth for all the participants. The on-site training provided room to go further beyond conventional boundaries and seek out new possibilities within performances.

For Quartetto Adorno, the residency at Le Pressoir de Monceau, in Prissé, France proved to be an opportunity to test the integration of music with philosophical discourse. Their episode describes how the serenity of the palace allowed them to really fine-tune their project of merging classical music with personal insights from composers. Listeners can hear about their creative working process, including how they used the residency’s tranquility to enhance their exploration of philosophical themes in their performances.

In the case of Antarja Quartet, welcomed at Akoesticum, in Ede, Netherlands, one of the genuine spotlights to their residency was the combination of music and visual arts. By inviting the audience to draw during their performances, they created an interactive experience that brought audiences and the quartet closer on a completely new level of interaction.

Antarja Quartet at Akoesticum, 19th March 2024

From reimagining concert formats and integrating visual arts and music to new models of audience engagement and adaptations of performance spaces, the quartets really took full advantage of the creative freedom that was handed to them by training organizations, namely ProQuartet, B & M Theocharakis Foundation, Stichting Strijkkwartet Biënnale Amsterdam, Qendra EVENT, Julian Cochran Foundation, Kolarac – Zadužbina Ilije M. Kolarca and experimentadesign. The whole new spectrum of artistic expressions of which one could not even think before are now the new definition of chamber music for the quartets. And there is definitely more to hear!

Listen to podcasts, as the new ones will be added week by week, and explore the creative processes, the struggles, and epiphanies behind these talented foursomes: how they bend the rules of classical music to make stunning, impactful and unforgettable performances.