The Stravinsky String Quartet
ALEXANDER SHUSTIN - FIRST VIOLIN
Is a graduate the Novosibirsk Conservatory (1977) and the Gnessin Academy of Music in Moscow (1981). His teachers were M.Lieberman, N.Shkolnikova and G.Zhislin. The violinist has performed solo recitals in all the principal cities of the former Soviet Union and in Croatia, Germany, France, Norway, Spain and Turkey. He has recorded three works by Galina Ustvolskaya for Megadisc Recording Company. In 1981 he became a laureate at the Yugoslavia International Violinists Competition (Belgrade).
Before coming to St-Petersburg in 1992 Mr. Shustin occupied the positions of concertmaster at the Novosibirsk Philharmonic and Professor in the Novosibirsk Conservatory. In 1992 the violinist relocated to St-Petersburg where he had been invited as the First Principal Violinist of The Academic Symphony Orchestra of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic.
Since 1993 he has taught violin at the St-Petersburg Conservatory. Mr. Shustin was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia in 1999.
VICTOR LISNIAK - SECOND VIOLIN
is a graduate of the St-Petersburg Conservatory where his teachers wer Professors Victor Lieberman and Vladimir Ovcharek.
He has toured worldwide as a member of different prestigious Russian ensembles and has been teaching at the String Quartet Faculty of the St-Petersburg Conservatory since 1989.
Mr. Lisniak holds the position of the concertmaster of second violin group in the Academic Symphony orchestra of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic.
DANIEL MEEROVICH - VIOLA
graduated from the St-Petersburg Conservatory where he had studied with Professor Yuri Kramarov. In 1985 he completed the postgraduate level with Professor Vladimir Stopichev.
In 1980 Mr. Meerovich won a Special Diploma at the USSR National Violists Competition, and subsequently appeared throughout Russia and abroad as a soloist. Since 1984 he has been teaching viola at the Mussorgsky Music College in St-Petersburg. Since 2000 Mr. Meerovich has been teaching viola and string quartet in the St-Petersburg Conservatory. He plays a Landolfi viola, previously owned by N.Rimsky-Korsakov.
Mr. Meerovich is principal viola of the Academic Symphony orchestra of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic. The violist was awarded the title of Honored Artist of Russia in 2002.
SIMON KOVARSKY - CELLO
was born in 1968 in Leningrad. He holds a degree from the St-Petersburg Conservatory with Professor Anatoly Nikitin and has received training in Denmark, Germany and the Netherlands with Professors Morten Zeuthen, Wolfgang Boettcher, Philippe Graffin, Dmitri Ferschtman, Colin Carr, Pascal Devoyon and Hans – Jakob Eschenburg.
Mr. Kovarsky has been a member of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic Symphony Orchestra since 1990. He is also a guest soloist of the chamber orchestra Neue Philharmonie Köln and the famous Russian chamber music ensemble Musica da Camera. In 2005 he won the First Prise at the Vlllth International Pietro Argento chamber music Competition in Italy.
The Stravinsky String Quartet of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic was founded in 1992 and was originally called the New Philharmonic Quartet. It was renamed the Stravinsky String Quartet of the St-Petersburg Philharmonic on the suggestion of Mstislav Rostropovich and with the support of the St-Petersburg composers union.
The Quartet has performed to great acclaim in different St. Petersburg concert venues, toured in Korea (1993), USA (1994), Japan (1994, 1997, 1998), Germany (1996), the Netherlands (1996, 2004), Swiss (1996, 2004, 2005), Lithuania (1997), Sweden (1998), Turkey (1998, 2002, 2006), Latvia (1999), Estonia (2004, 2005, 2007), Denmark and Ireland (2006), Israel (2007).
In March and April 1994 the ensemble took part in Children of Chernobyl Charity concerts in Los-Angeles (USA), and in June 1994 it was the first Quartet in the world to play in the open air at the Nuclear Bombing Victims' Memorial in Hiroshima (Japan).
In May 1994 the Quartet took part in the St. Petersburg`s Musical Spring International Festival, and the group was invited for the next Festival in 1995. It was the only chamber music ensemble representing St.Petersburg`s musical culture during 13th European Culture Days, Karlsruhe (Germany, 1996), David Oistrakh Festival, Paernu (Estonia, 2004, 2005, 2007) and Musica Romantica, Saas-Fee (Swiss, 1996, 2004 and 2005).
The Quartet has played together with such prominent artists as Eliane Rodrigues (piano, Belgium), Bela Davidovich (piano, USA), Dmitry Sitkovetsky (violin, GB), Boris Petrushansky (piano, Italy), Boris Tischenko (piano, Russia), Polina Osetinskaya (piano, Russia), Eric Salim-Meruet (counter-tenor, GB), Yukio Yokoyama (piano, Japan), Neal Stulberg (piano, USA), Alexander Dmitriev (conductor, Russia), Robert Trory (conductor, GB), Sten Lassmann (piano, Estonia), Janis Maleckis (piano, Latvia), Sergey Stadler (violin, Russia), Fabio Mastrangelo (piano, Italy), Martin Piecuch (sax, USA), Olga Kondina (soprano, Russia), Irina Bogacheva (mezzo-soprano, Russia), Rian de Waal (piano, Netherlands), Kalev Kuljus (oboe, Estonia), Gregory Gluzman (clarinet, Israel) and Miceal O'Rourke (piano, Ireland).
In February 1997 the group shared a very successful appearance in a concert with a Four-Stars Quartet - Gidon Kremer, Tatyana Grindenko, Yuri Bashmet and Mstislav Rostropovich - at the Great Hall of St-Petersburg Philharmonic.
Since 1997 the Quartet is a group member of the International Society of Friends of the Russian Museum, the biggest collection of Russian Art. The Stravinsky Quartet has made several DVD, CD and radio recordings, featuring music of Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Rachmaninov, Field, Borodin, Shostakovich and Andrei Petrov, as well as an original program of popular miniatures Happy Birthday.
In May 2003 the Quartet made a successful appearance at the Summit of about 40 international leaders who were visiting St-Petersburg for the city`s 300th anniversary celebrations.
In March and October 2007 the Quartet celebrated its 15-year anniversary with a concerts at the St.Petersburg State University Hall and Philharmonic Glinka Hall. The outstanding Irish pianist Miceal O'Rourke took part in these concerts.