"The performance of the Quartet Berlin-Tokyo is sincere, their enthusiasm and love for music leave a strong impression." Toshio Hosokawa
The Quartet Berlin-Tokyo was given its name at the suggestion of the renowned Japanese composer Toshio Hosokawa in the course of an invitation to the Takefu International Music Festival. But there is more to the name than reference to these two metropolises; it is rather about a path running between them – and this is precisely the issue the young artists are engaged with. It is therefore not coincidental that they feel committed to the music of Béla Bartók and his striving for a synthesis between East and West.
The group was founded in 2011 by students of the two conservatories in Berlin. Only a few months later, they celebrated initial success at the International Music Competition of the ARD in Munich 2012 when awarded the prize of the Jeunesses Musicales Germany, followed by the first prize and an Audience Award at the Orlando International String Quartet Competition in 2014.
Other prizes that the Quartet obtained include the second-and-audience prize at the International "Salieri Zinetti" Competition in Verona, second prize of the Young Concert Artists Audition New York, third prize at the “Franz Schubert” competition in Graz, second prize and the ''Best interpretation of Carl Nielsen'' prize at the ''Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition'' in Copenhagen, third prize at the ''International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition'' and the special prize ''Prix Irène Steels-Wilsing'' at the 8th ''Quatuors à Bordeaux'' string quartet competition in France.
The Quartet Berlin-Tokyo has also been supported by several scholarships, including scholarships from the Matsuo Academic Foundation Tokyo and Ottilie Selbach Redslob Foundation, Germany.
In October 2014, the ensemble was awarded a scholarship by the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation and in 2015 they became ''HSBC Laureates'' of the ''Aix en Provence'' Festival, France.
The ensemble has performed at numerous national and international concert venues, including the Hamburg Laeiszhalle, the Berlin Philharmonic, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. In addition, the four young musicians are regularly invited to prestigious festivals such as the ''Aix en Provence'' Festival,
Oslo Chamber Music Festival, the Takefu International Music Festival, Heidelberger Frühling and the Davos Festival in Switzerland, where they also performed the 5-and-a-half-hour long string quartet of Morton Feldman.
They have received musical inspiration and guidance from Oliver Wille, David Alberman, András Keller, Gerhard Schulz, Hartmut Rohde, Johannes Meissl, Jean-Guihen Queyras, Heime Müller, Eberhard Feltz, the Artemis Quartet and the Arditti Quartet.
Since 2014 the Quartet has held a residency position at the new Fukinoto Concert hall of Rokkatei in Sapporo, Japan. During this residency they already produced recordings of all quartets by Béla Bartók and complete op. 76 by Joseph Haydn.
Tsuyoshi Moriya (Violin)
At the age of two and a half he received his first lessons with his father and studied with Yoji Koyama, Yoko Tabuchi, Kumi Sugiyama, Takaya Urakawa, Gerard Poulet, Stephan Picard, chamber music by Kiyoshi Okayama, Nobuko Yamazaki, Oliver Wille. Simultaneous graduating with honors from the University of Music and Fine Arts in Tokyo and at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ in Berlin. He completed his master's degree at the Hannover University of Music, Drama and Media.
He has won numerous international competitions. In Germany he won the 2nd
prize at the International Competition Marschner in Freiburg in 2002 and the Bach Prize at the International Louis Spohr Competition in Freiburg 2003.
Until he formed Quartet Berlin-Tokyo, Tsuyoshi Moriya appeared successfully at solo concerts and as soloist with orchestras, for examples Tokyo New City Phil., Sendai Phil., Gunma Symphony Orchestra, Kyoto Phil., Geidai Phil., Okayama Phil., Neues Sinfonieorchester Berlin and as guest concertmaster in Japan and Europe.
He plays on a C. Tononi (1725) by Japan Violin Co. as a special loan. He is a founding member of the label „QBT Collection“ (2021).
Dimitri Pavlov (Violin)
Dimitri Pavlov was born in Irkutzk, Russia, and began studying the violin at age of 6 in Saint Petersburg. In 1992 he immigrated to Israel with his family. After graduating at the „Dunia Veizman“ conservatory in Haifa, he continued his studies with Hagai Shaham.
Among his chamber music activity he was a member of the „Young Musicians Group“ of the Jerusalem Music Center and a piano trio. He was also violinist of the representative „Gertler-Quartet“ of the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music in Tel-Aviv, Israel, where he graduated his studies with Irena Svetlova. He also studied with Uwe Martin Haiberg and Artemis Quartet (UDK,Berlin), Oliver Wille (Hannover), Eberhard Feltz (HfM „Hanns Eisler“, Berlin), Miriam Fried, Ilan Gronich, Vadim Gluzman, Shlomo Mintz and Zakhar Bron.
As a soloist he appeared with the „Concerto-Orchestra“ Jerusalem and the Buchmann-Mehta School of Music Orchestra. He was also invited to play in the „West-Eastern Divan Orchestra“ lead by maestro Daniel Barenboim, and the Israeli Philharmonic Orchestra.
Since 2011 he has been a founding member of the Quartet Berlin-Tokyo, and of the label „QBT Collection“ (founded in 2021), in which he also has the role of graphic designer.
He was awarded with scholarships from the America-Israel Cultural Foundation. Since 2016 he plays the 1874 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume violin, on extended loan through the generosity of the Stiftung Worpswede.
Gregor Hrabar (Viola)
Born in Slovenia, his musical career quickly crossed the border, as he studied both at the AG Ljubljana and KLK in Austria. His active student life has left him excelling as a violinist, earning him the Prize of „France Prešeren Foundation“ of the Academy of Music in Ljubljana. To his studies he also added jazz violin, chamber music, an intense orchestra life, and viola included as his second instrument.
His passion for ensemble playing has taken him to Berlin, the city he currently resides in, where he finished his Chamber Music Masters studies at HfM „Hanns Eisler“. Since 2018 he has been appointed violist of the Quartet Berlin-Tokyo.
His musical career has earned him many international prizes and concerts all around Europe, Asia, USA and Africa, recordings for CDs, television and radio. He is also the founding member of the label „QBT Collection“, also taking on the role of the sound engineer and producer. He was a "Stipendiat" of Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now e.V.
He is also a devoted teacher, earning himself the 2nd certificate of the Colourstrings method, his preferred method for beginners. Currently he is the guest professor at the Mayumi Music Education Academy in Okinawa. He plays on a replica of Gasparo da Salò made by Joachim Schade.
Ruiko Matsumoto (Cello)
Ruiko Matsumoto was born in Sapporo, Japan. At the age of ten she received her first cello lessons with Prof. Hakuro Mori and Yoshiro Uehara. In 2001-2006 she studied with Prof. Hakuro Mori at the Toho Gakuen School of music and the Toho Gakuen College of music in Tokyo. In 2006-2014 she continued her studies with David Geringas and Claudio Bohórquez at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ Berlin, as well as chamber music studies with Eberhard Feltz, the Artemis Quartet (UDK Berlin), and Oliver Wille at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover. Both her diploma and her master's degree she graduated with honors.
She has been honored with numerous prizes and awards, e.g. at the „VIVA Hall Cello Competition“, the „Sapporo Cello Competition“, the „Classical Music Competition Japan“ and the „JILA Music Competition“. She has participated at various music festivals and master classes, e.g. „Aspen Music Festival“, „Ostsee Musikforum“ and „Accademia Musicale Chigiana“.
She has given numerous chamber music concerts, e.g. at the Philharmonie Berlin, Konzerthaus Berlin and Suntory Hall Tokyo, including various concerts as a soloist with orchestras in Japan and Europe.
She received scholarships from the Agency for Cultural Affairs Government of Japan and the Yehudi Menuhin Live Music Now Berlin e.V.
She plays on the 1935 „Ernesto Pevere“ and is a founding member of the „Quartet Berlin-Tokyo“ (2011) and the label „QBT Collection“ (2021).
Prizes, Awards & Festivals
2011 International Music Festival Takefu, Japan
2012 ARD International Music Competition Munich for String Quartet
Special Prize 'Förderpreis der Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland'
2013 Full scholarship from Matsuo Academic Foundation, Japan and Ottilie-Selbach-Redslob Stiftung Germany
Second Prize & Audience Prize at the Salieri-Zinetti International Chamber Music Competition, Verona, Italy
2014 ''Heidelberger Frühling'' String Quartet Festival
Japan concert tour and residency in the 'Rokkatei-Hall' for 3 years, Sapporo, Japan
Residence ensemble at the Academy of the prestigious Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, France
FIRST & AUDIENCE prize at the Orlando String Quartet Competition, Netherlands
International Chamber Music Festival of Oslo, Norway
Debut recital at the the Royal Concertgebouw Amsterdam
Second prize at 'Young Concert Artist', New York, USA
Third prize at the ISW-Stiftung String Quartet Competition, Berlin
2015 Third prize at the “Franz Schubert'' string quartet competition, Graz, Austria.
Second prize and prize for the 'Best interpretation of Carl Nielsen' at the
Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition in Copenhagen, Denmark
'HSBC Laureates' Award of the Festival d'Aix-en-Provence, France
2016 Third prize at the 'International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition'
Special prize 'Prix Irène Steels-Wilsing' at the 8th Quatuors à Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, France
2017 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland
Trecastagni Festival, Catania, Italy
SWR 2 Live Radio Broadcasting, Villa Ludwigshöhe, Edenkoben, Germany
Japan concert tour and residency in the 'Rokkatei-Hall' for 3 years, Sapporo, Japan
NHK Radio Broadcasting, Tokyo, Japan
2018 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland
2019 Selected for joining the network of Le Dimore del Quartetto
International Music Festival, Italy
Became members of VDSQ, Germany
2019 Davos International Music Festival, Davos, Switzerland