Quartetto di Cremona travels from Italy to Vancouver, with fine 17th- and 18th-century instruments, October 25
The musicians are honourary citizens of the ensemble’s namesake city, which is on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list for violin making

Quartetto di Cremona
Friends of Chamber Music presents Quartetto di Cremona on October 25 at 7:30pm at the Vancouver Playhouse
WHEN QUARTETTO DI CREMONA performs in Vancouver, the artists will be playing their signature superb and supremely rare instruments. Cristiano Gualco’s violin was made by Nicola Amati in Cremona in 1640; Paolo Andreoli’s violin was made in Milan around 1758 by Paolo Antonio Testore (and is funded by Kulturfonds Peter Eckes); Simone Gramaglia’s viola was crafted by Gioachino Torazzi circa 1680 (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes); and Giovanni Scaglione’s cello, dating back to 1712, was built by Bologna’s Dom Nicola Amati (Kulturfonds Peter Eckes).
Since forming in 2000, the quartet has become an internationally in-demand act, having performed across Europe, North America, South America, and Asia.
The musicians are ambassadors for the international Friends of Stradivari project and are honourary citizens of Cremona, which is on the UNESCO list of intangible cultural heritage for traditional violin making.
Traditional violin-making is “considered fundamental for the identity of Cremona and of its citizens”, UNESCO states. “It plays a fundamental role in the social and cultural activities, traditions and events of the town.”
In the upcoming concert presented by Friends of Chamber Music, Quartetto Di Cremona will perform Samuel Barber’s “Adagio for Strings” from String Quartet No.1 in B-flat Minor, Opus 11; Sergei Prokofiev’s String Quartet No.1 in B Minor, Opus 50; and Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major.
More information is at Friends of Chamber Music.
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