Music Style: New Music
Playing a program of avant-garde compositions including pieces by John Zorn and Anton Weber, don’t miss the internationally renowned Quartet Integra, whose thrilling sound displays “an enormous wealth of colors… and sparkling rhythms.” (All News Press)
ABOUT THE ARTISTS
Described as having “an enormous wealth of colors… and sparkling rhythms”
(All News Press), Quartet Integra are quickly developing a reputation of international prestige. In 2022, the Quartet won Second Prize and the coveted Audience Award at the 2022 ARD International Music Competition, First Prize at the 2021 Bartók World Competition, and First Prize and the Prize of Beethoven and Grand Prix Award at the 2019 Akiyoshidai Music Competition. Additionally, Quartet Integra have received the prize Banca Monte dei Paschi in the 2021 Accdemia Musicale Chigiana, the Kirishima International Music Festival Prize and Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi Music Director Prize in the 2021 Kirishima International Music Festival.
Upcoming performances include over twenty performances throughout Japan including the Kanazawa, Takefu International Festivals and at venues such as Tokyo Opera City, Toppan Hall, and Suntory Hall, among others. Additionally, they have performances planned as part of the Discovery Series at the La Jolla Music Society, the California Club in Los Angeles, and Thayer and Zipper Halls at the Colburn School. Quartet Integra has performed and worked with artists including Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Kazuhide Isomura, Shigeo Neriki, and Kazuhide Isomura.
Quartet Integra are active festival participants. They were invited by Günter Pichler (formerly of the Alban Berg Quartet) to attend the Chigiana Summer Festival in Siena on a scholarship and have attended festivals such as Crans Montana Classics, Toyama Chamber Music Festival, and Kirishima International Music Festival. Committed to contemporary works, Quartet Integra has commissioned many new
works from Japanese composers and have given over a dozen world premieres.
They have participated in coachings and master classes with Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Milena Pajaro-Van de Stadt, Jean-Guihen Queyras, and the Jerusalem, Henschel, Atrium, Voce, and Shanghai String Quartets.
Quartet Integra, consisting of first violinist Kyoka Misawa, second violinist Rinato Kikuno, violist Itsuki Yamamoto, and cellist Anri Tsukiji, formed in 2015 and began their studies with Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki at Toho Gakuen School of Music. They continued their academic work as a quartet as fellows at the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy. They are currently enrolled in the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence Program at the Colburn School, where they study with Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith, and Tatjana Masurenko. Quartet Integra is supported by grant funding from the Matsuo Foundation and are on the roster of Colburn Artists. (March 3rd 2023)
Kyoka Misawa (1st vl)
Japanese violinist Kyoka Misawa is pursuing her Professional Studies Certificate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music as The Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence, where she studies with Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith and Tatjana Masurenko. She is a prize winner in Bartok World Competition(Hungary), Akiyoshidai Music Competition(Japan) as string quartet, and the Czech Republic Music Competition(Japan). Recently, she won 2nd prize and Audience Award in the ARD International Competition(Munich) as string quartet. Kyoka Misawa has collaborated with artists Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Kazuhide Isomura, Shigeo Neriki, Nobuko Yamazaki and Jerusalem Quartet. She has also attended in many festival such as Bad Leonfelden, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Kirishima International festival and Crans Montana Classics. Previously, she studied with Koichiro Harada at the Toho Gakuen School of Music. She plays Alexsander Gagliano(1728) specially loaned by Nippon Violin.
Rintaro Kikuno (2nd vl)
Rintaro Kikuno is a violinist pursuing his Artist Diploma Chamber Music Residence Program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and a member of Quartet Integra. He has won prizes several competitions at Japan, He has performed with the Symphony Orchestra. Previously, Mr. Kikuno studied with Ms.Akiko Tatsumi at Toho Gakuen University of Music, and he graduated University at the top of his class. Mr. Kikuno performs on Cesare Candi made in 1938.
Itsuki Yamamoto (va)
Itsuki Yamamoto hopes to express everything from classical to contemporary as a single stream, throughout his music activities. He studies with Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith, and Tatjana Masurenko at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, where he is Artist Diploma candidate as The Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence program. As a soloist, he is enthusiastically working on the premiere of new pieces, such as the world premiere of Masahiro Ishijima “Sonata for Solo Viola”. Itsuki is also interested in composing. His new work “Short Short for Erhu and Viola” (2021) and “Soumeikyoku for Solo Viola” (2023) were premiered in Japan.
Anri Tsukiji (vc)
Anri Tsukiji is the founding cellist of the Quartet Integra, currently in the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence Program at the Colburn School. She studied with Keiko Matsunami at Toho-Gakuen College of Music and graduated in 2019. She currently studied with Clive Greensmith and Martin Beaver. She received the top prize at the Student Music Concours of Japan.
