Jonathan Masaki Schwarz, violin
Amelie Cosima Wallner, violin
Mayu Konoe, viola
Lukas Minoru Schwarz, cello
Based in Berlin, the Leonkoro Quartet was founded in 2019 and has been studying from the very beginning with the Artemis Quartet at the University of the Arts Berlin. Shortly after their formation, they enrolled at the International Institute of Chamber Music of Madrid at the Reina Sofía School of Music in the class of Günter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartett). In addition, they have received tuition from teachers such as Heime Müller (Artemis Quartett), Alfred Brendel, Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartett), Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartett), and Luc-Marie Aguera (Quatuor Ysaye).
The quartet received their first awards in the summer of 2019; at the international chamber music competition at the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival in Italy, they were awarded the first prize and the “Adolfo Betti Award” for the best string quartet. In 2020 they were invited by Mozartfest Würzburg to work with Reinhard Goebel at the MozartLab.
Despite the global pandemic, 2021 was a breakthrough year so far for the young musicians: adding to the first prize at the Alice-Samter Chamber music Competition and the second prize at German “Ton & Erklärung” competition of the Association of Arts and Culture of the German Economy at the Federation of German Industries e.V. (Kulturkreis der deutschen Wirtschaft), they received the second prize ex aequo (first prize not awarded) and the coveted audience prize at the prestigious International String Quartet Competition “Premio Paolo Borciani”.
For the 2021-2022 season, the Leonkoro Quartet will be performing at renowned chamber music series and festivals, including at the Laeiszhalle Hamburg, the Heidelberg String Quartet Festival, and the Rheingau Music Festival.
