Saturday April 3rd 2027, 7:30pm
Leoš Čepický, violin
Jan Schulmeister, violin
Jakub Čepický, viola
Michal Kaňka, cello
Leos Janáček: String Quartet no. 1, Kreutzer
Bedřich Smetana: Quartet no. 1 in E minor, From My Life
Antonin Dvořák: Two Waltzes, op. 54
Antonin Dvořák: Quartet no. 12 in F major, op. 96, B. 179, American
The Wihan Quartet is one of the leading string quartets to emerge from the great Czech school of performance in recent years. Praised by the New York Times for possessing a sound that is “deeply pleasurable and also deeply traditional”, the quartet has gained an extraordinary reputation for its interpretation of the Czech domestic repertoire and beyond.
The quartet perform regularly in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, and previous seasons have included tours in Europe, the United States, East Asia and Australia, in addition to appearances at major festivals worldwide. They returned to Wigmore Hall in June 2024, following their residency at the Salzburg String Quartet Festival earlier the same year.
Formed in 1985, the Wihan Quartet won the First Prize and the Audience Prize in the 1991 London International String Quartet Competition. Career highlights include a period as the Czech Chamber Music Society Resident Ensemble at the Rudolfinum Dvořák Hall, Prague, and their years as Richard Carne Quartet in Residence at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance. The Wihan Quartet is respected for its world-class recordings and has been described by International Record Review as “one of the best quartets in the world today”.
In 2025, the Wihan Quartet celebrated its fortieth anniversary. With only two changes in personnel over the course of their career, the quartet’s remarkable consistency has been the object of much admiration, with The Times noting their “insight of long, deep mutual experience”.