20 Quartets for the 20th Anniversary of NeoQuartet

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In 2026, NeoQuartet celebrates its 20th anniversary. To mark the occasion, the ensemble is launching the project “20 Quartets for NeoQuartet’s 20th Anniversary”, inviting twenty composers from Poland and abroad to create new works dedicated to the ensemble. It will be one of the largest composition projects devoted to the string quartet undertaken in Poland in recent years.

For two decades, NeoQuartet has steadily built its position on the international contemporary music scene, premiering and promoting new works by composers from around the world. The anniversary project is a natural culmination of this activity and another step in expanding the contemporary string quartet repertoire.

The project brings together acclaimed composers from Europe, Asia and North America, including Jonathan Berger (USA), Chihchun Chi-sun Lee (Taiwan), David Moliner (Spain), Tiina Myllärinen (Finland), Vito Palumbo (Italy), Helmut Zapf (Germany), Mohammad H. Javaheri, Idin Samimi Mofakham and Parsa Zandi (Iran), Marsel Nichan (Sweden), as well as Polish composers Anna Zaradny, Dominik Strycharski, Mateusz Ryczek, Jakub Krzewiński, Jakub Pawlak, Maria Trzpis and Tadeusz Dixa.

The new compositions will represent a broad spectrum of contemporary aesthetics – from acoustic string quartets to electroacoustic and multimedia works incorporating electronics, video projections and lighting. All of the works will receive their world premieres by NeoQuartet during a series of anniversary concerts in Gdansk.

An integral part of the project will also be an international composition competition for composers aged 35 and under. Participants will create new multimedia string quartets dedicated to NeoQuartet. The jury will select three prize-winning works, which will be premiered during the December “ACT III” concert at Kolonia Artystów in Gdansk.

CONCERT SCHEDULE
12 September 2026, 7:00 PM
20 for 20 – ACT I
WL4 Mleczny Piotr, Gdansk
Programme: Helmut Zapf, Chihchun Chi-sun Lee, David Moliner, Maria Trzpis

7 November 2026, 7:00 PM
20 for 20 – ACT II
Galeria Pionova / Café Luis, Gdansk
Programme: Anna Zaradny, Jakub Pawlak, Vito Palumbo, Idin Samimi Mofakham, Jonathan Berger

16 December 2026, 7:00 PM
20 for 20 – ACT III
Kolonia Artystów, Gdansk
World premieres of three prize-winning works from the composition competition, alongside works by Jakub Krzewiński, Mohammad H. Javaheri and Marsel Nichan

17 December 2026, 7:00 PM
20 for 20 – ACT IV – FINALE
Ratusz Staromiejski, Gdansk
Programme: Parsa Zandi, Dominik Strycharski, Tadeusz Dixa, Tiina Myllärinen and Mateusz Ryczek

The project is co-financed by the City of Gdansk and the Pomeranian Voivodeship