Leonkoro Quartet

Jonathan Schwarz – violin
Amelie Wallner – violin
Mayu Konoe – viola
Lukas Schwarz– cello

The String Quartet, founded in Berlin in 2019, can hardly be described more aptly than in the review published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in January 2022: „The Leonkoro Quartet [...] has an enormous stage presence, glows for the music, takes full risks and amazes with its empathy for the respective sound of the pieces [...]“.

The ensemble is framed by the brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, while the middle voices are formed by Amelie Wallner on second violin and Mayu Konoe on viola. Leonkoro, in Esperanto: Lionheart, does not coincidentally allude to Astrid Lindgren's children's book about two brothers, the story juxtaposes the grave reality of death with a large and heartfelt yearning for comfort and solace - a sentiment that string quartet repertoire addresses in several instances.

In 2022, the Leonkoro Quartet garnered a series of prestigious accolades, solidifying their place among the most celebrated ensembles of their generation: They were bestowed with the highly prestigious Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize, the 1st prize and nine special awards at the International String Quartet Competition held at London's Wigmore Hall and the 1st prize and two Audience Prizes at the Concours International de Quatuor à Bordeaux. Shortly thereafter, they were invited to join the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists program, where they will participate from 2022 to 2024, and they achieved the MERITO String Quartet Award.

Alongside their academic pursuits in chamber music under the tutelage of Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet) at the Musikhochschule Lübeck, the quartet has been studying with Günter Pichler (Primarius Alban Berg Quartet) at the Chamber Music Institute of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía Madrid since 2020. Notable mentors of the ensemble include Eckart Runge and Gregor Sigl (Artemis Quartet), as well as pianist Alfred Brendel, with whom the Leonkoro Quartet maintains a regular collaboration. In Autumn 2023, the quartet released its highly anticipated debut album, featuring Ravel's String Quartet and Schumann's 3rd quartet, on the Mirare label.

In the 2023/2024 season, the Leonkoro Quartet will make debuts at the Berlin Philharmonie, the Kölner Philharmonie, the Flagey Brussels, the Concertgebouw Amsterdam and the Konzerthaus Wien, to name a few, and will take the musicians to renowned festivals such as the Rheingau Music Festival, the String Quartet Biennale Paris, the Heidelberg Fruehling. Furthermore, the quartet continues its residency in Leeds. The Leonkoro Quartet represents Pirastro as Pirastro Artists and serves as Henle App Ambassadors. Jonathan is playing on a fine JB Guadagnini on generous loan through the Beares International Violin Society. Amelie Wallner plays a Vicenzo Postiglione violin, generously provided by a private donor. Mayu Konoe plays privately owned viola. Lukas Schwarz plays a cello by Carlo Tononi, Venice (approx. 1720) loaned by the Beares International Violin Society.

Concert on Fri 2.8
Website Leonkoro Quartet