Affinity Quartet
Forming in 2015 Australia’s Affinity Quartet appeared on Melbourne’s classical music scene as ‘one of the most exciting ensembles to make their mark’ (Classic Melbourne). Violinists Josephine Chung and Nicholas Waters, violist Ruby Shirres and cellist Mee Na Lojewski have recently won major prizes in four international string quartet competitions. At the 2023 Melbourne International String Quartet Competition Affinity Quartet was awarded the Audience Prize, the Robert Salzer String Quartet First Prize, and the Monash University Grand Prize; the first Australian group to win the competition in its 32 year history.
This milestone follows their Second Prize awards at the 2023 Bad Tölz International String Quartet Competition, Germany, and the Mozart International String Quartet Competition, Austria. At the latter, Affinity Quartet was also awarded Special Prize for the Best Interpretation of a Contemporary Work for their performance of Brett Dean’s String Quartet no.3 ’Hidden Agendas’. In 2022 Affinity Quartet became the first Australian string quartet to reach the Finals of London’s Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, winning Third Prize.
Since 2022, Affinity Quartet has been studying with Günter Pichler, founder of the Alban Berg Quartet, at the International Institute of Chamber Music of the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, and has also recently benefited from the support of the McGill International String Quartet Academy Montreal; the Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale; the Australian National Academy of Music; and from quartet musicians Jonathan Brown (Cuarteto Casals); Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartet); Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet).
The group’s work includes performing and commissioning new Australian works for string quartet. Their première performances include works by Brett Dean (AU), Darrin Archer (AU), Matt Laing (AU), Tom Misson (AU), and Sally Beamish (UK). Affinity Quartet’s 2022 commission of In Perpetuum by Matt Laing, funded by Kingsley Gee, was premièred at The Melbourne Recital Centre with acclaimed performances at the ANAM Quartetthaus Festival, Melbourne, in May 2023.
Affinity Quartet receives generous ongoing support from Melbourne architects Kennedy Nolan, Cope-Williams Arts Foundation, Alex Grant Violins Melbourne, private instrument assistance, advisors, and a growing community of supporters.