Praised for their “stunning” musicianship (New York Times) and their “performances to remember” (Woodstock Times), the Vinca Quartet has consistently won over the hearts of audiences and critics alike through their dynamic interpretations, inventive programming and thought-provoking discussions.

Top prize winners in the 2010 Yellow Springs International Chamber Music Competition and the 2008 International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition, the Vincas are also laureates of the Premio Paolo Borciani International Quartet Competition, Plowman, Fischoff, and Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competitions. Their international performances have brought them to concert halls such as Carnegie Hall (US), Weikersheim Schloss (Germany) and les Invalides (France). They have also been featured on public radio across the US and Europe.

Pupils of such renowned chamber music giants as the Juilliard, Cleveland, Takács and Alban Berg Quartets, the members of the Vincas had the exceptional experience of meeting through the recommendations of their respective chamber music mentors. This wide range of quartet schooling along with the quartet’s extensive interdisciplinary training has helped them to forge their own unique and distinct musical voice.

On top of their regular performing schedule, the Vincas serve as Artistic Directors and Resident Quartet of the Chamber Music of the Rockies Festival in Beaver Creek, Colorado. They have made appearances at the International Musician’s Seminar at Prussia Cove in England, the Carnegie Hall Professional Workshops, Soundfest Chamber Music Festival, Deer Valley Music Festival, and Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland. In 2010, they were selected as the Quartet-in-Residence for the ProQuartet International Odyssée Program, an award that enabled them to spend a month performing, attending master classes and researching musical education systems across France. The first quartet ever to obtain four simultaneous DAAD music grants from the German Government, the Vincas are currently the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the Stuttgart Hochschule fuer Musik und Darstellende Kunst under the mentorship of the Vogler Quartet.

Strongly committed to inspiring new audiences and strengthening communities through their own dedication to chamber music, the Vincas have helped launch multiple in-depth concert series serving communities overlooked by major classical groups. For the 2010-2011 season, they will serve as the Resident Artists for the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast organization- a program designed to bring music education, mentoring, coaching and guidance for local students in the Sarasota and Manatee areas of Florida. In 2007-2008, the quartet helped to establish Music Haven, a tuition-free strings and mentorship program devoted to transforming the lives of urban youth and their families in New Haven, CT through music. Other ongoing collaborative work includes exploring parallels between music and science with the Hertz Foundation, an organization aimed at nurturing remarkable applied scientists and engineers who show the most promise to change the world.

Derived from the latin verb vincere, meaning to master and excel against all odds, the Vinca flower embodies the enduring passion for chamber music shared by the quartet’s four members.