The Prague string quartet Epoque Quartet was founded at the beginning of the year 1999. Four excellent soloists and chamber musicians with abundant stage experience were brought together not only by their unanimity in musical opinions and the relationship in their artistic nature, but even by their extraordinary interest in musical genres, which do not belong under the title „classical music“ – jazz, rock and funk.
As compositions of the classical quartet literature remain an integral part of this ensemble’s repertoire, the sensitive approach to unconventional arrangements provides the quartet with new possibilities of using the string instruments and at the same time it enables the ensemble to widen its repertoire, which is unique both on Czech and world stages.
The members of the quartet are laureates of several international competitions (two times the first place in the competition of Liezen in Austria, the first price in the international competition Ludwig van Beethoven for string quartets, the price Jeunesse Musicale).
The quartet performed among others in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, France, Italy, the United Kingdom, Israel, Japan, Canada, Brazil, Greece, the Netherlands, Poland, and Bosnia and Herzegovina.
The Epoque Quartet regularly performs in the subscription cycles of the Czech Radio Symphonic Orchestra, the Czech Nonet, and plays for the association for chamber music. It cooperates with the Czech Television and the Czech Radio and is a regular guest on prestigious music festivals, e.g. the Schleswig-Holstein Musikfestival, Concentus Moraviae, the Music Festival of Český Krumlov, Chamber music Cycle of the Stuttgarter Philharmoniker, Metamorphoses (Switzerland), Music Festival Ludwig van Beethoven, Moravský podzim (Moravian Autumn) and others. In 2018 the Epoque Quartet has its debut on famous Prague Spring International Music Festival.
The members of the Epoque Quartet led a master classes in jazz interpretation at several places of the world (Jerusalem, Sao Paulo, Belgrade, Prague). In the field of jazz the Epoque quartet came together with distinguished personalities like Gregory Porter, George Mraz, Benny Beailey, Yoshiko Kishino, David Braid. Digestedly the ensemble works together with the Trio Robert Balzar and with world famous french horn player Radek Baborak. As a members of other music formations (Czech Radio Orchestra, Czech Philharmonic, Orquestrina Baborak, Art Trio Bohemia…) they came together with international stars like Mischa Maisky, Placido Domingo, Jose Cura, Janin Jansen, Maxim Vengerov,Vaclav Neumann, Libor Pesek and others in a places like Berlin Philharmonie, Tonhalle Zürich, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Rudolphinum Prague and so on.
Members
David Pokorný (1985) – violin
Vladimír Klánský (1977) – violin
Vladimír Kroupa (1973) – viola
Vít Petrášek – (1978) – violoncello