The Ligeti Quartet announces a new first violin and looks forward to György Ligeti's centenary

The Ligeti Quartet (Photo Ed Miles)

After nearly twelve years of quartet life, Ligeti Quartet founding member, violinist Mandhira de Saram, has made the decision to focus on the other creative parts of her career. Her musical friendship with the quartet will be continuing, however, and the Ligeti Quartet is premiering a new composition by her next year.

Freya Goldmark has been announced as the Ligeti Quartet's new first violin. Goldmark has been working with the quartet over the past year including on one of their UK tours and performed with the quartet during their first performance at Aldeburgh Festival last year.

After starting violin lessons aged four, by her mid teens Goldmark had performed across the UK, Europe and Asia and made her concerto debut aged just 13 at the Rachmaninov Institute in Russia. At 19, she founded Stamford International Music Festival, a chamber music festival which takes place each year in the town in which she grew up.

Nextyear is set to be an exciting one for the Ligeti Quartet. 2023 is the 100th anniversary of György Ligeti’s birth and the quartet's celebrations include 14 new commissions supported by Britten Pears Arts, BBC Radio 3, and Montreal’s Bourgie Hall.  The quartet also looks forward to its first concert in the new formation at the BBC Radio 3 New Music Show, which will be performed and recorded live in Sunderland on 20 December 2022 and broadcast on 7 January 2023.

Full details from the quartet's website.