Outside of the US, recent performances include Gothenburg Konserthuset, Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, MITO Festival in Milan and Turin, as well as tours to Central and South America, and Japan; they will return to the latter in spring of 2020 with concerts in Osaka, Yokohama, and Nagoya, performing John Adam’s Absolute Jest with Nagoya Philharmonic and conductor Edo de Waart. They have previously performed this piece, under the baton of the composer, with Orquestra Simfònica de Barcelona i Nacional de Catalunya and Orquesta Nacional de España, and with Marin Alsop at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music. John Adams describes the quartet as “sharing his musical DNA”. The upcoming season will also see them debuting in London at Kings Place and Wigmore Hall, in Austria at Musik im Riesen Festival and in Oslo at the Vertravo Haydn Festival.
Passionate advocates of contemporary repertoire, the quartet are dedicated to presenting and recording new works. Their latest recording project, Orange, features string quartet works by Pulitzer-prize winning composer Caroline Shaw and has been greatly received and praised by the critics as “an outstanding performance” of a “staggering work that comes as across effortless” (Noisey). Previous recordings include three critically acclaimed albums with Azica Records, including a disc of Michael Ippolito’s string quartets, and the complete works for string quartet by John Adams. The latter was praised by Steve Smith of The New York Times as a “vivacious, compelling set” and described the Attacca Quartet’s playing as “exuberant, funky, and … exactingly nuanced”. The album was the recipient of the 2013 National Federation of Music Clubs Centennial Chamber Music Award. Additional awards for their recordings include both the Arthur Foote Award from the Harvard Musical Association and Lotos Prize in the Arts from the Stecher and Horowitz Foundation.
Other accolades include First Prize at the 7th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition, the Top Prize and Listeners’ Choice award winners for the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition, and Grand Prize Winners of the 60th annual Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition.
The Attacca Quartet has engaged in extensive educational and community outreach projects, serving as guest artists and teaching fellows at the Lincoln Center Institute, the Boston University Tanglewood Institute and Bravo! Vail Valley among others.
