The Penderecki String Quartet, one of Canada’s most acclaimed ensembles, marks its 40th Anniversary in 2026. The Quartet began its musical life in Poland, and traveled across the globe to make its home in Waterloo, Ontario.
Current members include violinist Jerzy Kaplanek from Piekary Sl, Poland, who joined the quartet in 1987, violist Christine Vlajk from Denver, Colorado, who joined in 1997, violinist Jeremy Bell from Toronto, who joined in 1999, and cellist Katie Schlaijker from Boston, who joined in 2013.
They’re celebrating the landmark anniversary with a wide ranging tour that lands in Toronto on May 21 at the Jane Mallet Theatre. The concert, part of the Music Toronto season, will include Penderecki’s String Quartet No.3, Mozart’s String Quartet in D Major, K. 499, “Hoffmeister”, and Schubert’s Quintet with cellist Roman Borys.
The Penderecki String Quartet
The Penderecki String Quartet was formed by four Polish students at the Academy of Music in Katowice. After winning the Penderecki Prize at the National Chamber Music Competition in Łódz, Poland in 1986, they asked composer Krzysztof Penderecki if they could name the quartet after him.
He agreed, and so the Penderecki String Quartet was born.
The Quartet was offered assistantships in the graduate chamber program at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, where they continued to train with the Fine Arts Quartet, and later, the famed Guarneri String Quartet at the University of Maryland.
The PSQ began touring across North America, and one of their early concerts took them to the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. The Penderecki’s enjoyed both Waterloo and Canada, and when they were approached by the Faculty of Music at Wilfrid Laurier University about the possibility of a String Quartet-in-Residence opportunity, they soon took them up on the offer.
The Quartet has been on the faculty at Laurier since 1991, and make their home in Waterloo.
The Penderecki String Quartet perform Kelly-Marie Murphy’s “Oblique Light” in 2017:
The Music
Along with performing the usual repertoire within the classical music canon, the PSQ has emerged as a champion of Canadian music. The ensemble has commissioned and performed hundreds of new works over the decades.
Many have been included in their impressive recording catalogue of more than three dozen albums, including heir recording of Canadian composer Marjan Mozetich’s “Lament in the Trampled Garden” which won the 2010 JUNO Award for Best Composition.
Their recording catalogue also includes the first Canadian release of the six Béla Bartók quartets, along with the music of Beethoven, Brahms, Shostakovich, Schubert and Britten, released on Centre Discs, Marquis Classics, EMI Music Canada, Artifact Music, and Eclectra labels.
The PSQ was featured in Glenn Buhr’s 2006 soundtrack to Sony Pictures’ Population 436, and in Howard Shore’s 2022 soundtrack to David Cronenberg’s film Crimes of the Future.
The Penderecki String Quartet performs Haydn – Quartet in D Major, Op. 20, No. 4 at Music Mountain’s Gordon Hall on June 19, 2016:
International tours have taken them to New York (Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Hong Kong (Academy for the Arts), Los Angeles (REDCAT Hall at Disney Center), St. Petersburg (Sheremetev Palace), the Adam Festival in New Zealand, and throughout Europe. The PSQ has also toured extensively in Mexico, Australia, Venezuela, Brazil, Colombia, and from coast to coast in Canada.
In October 2013, the PSQ performed Maestro Krzysztof Penderecki’s Third Quartet (2008) at Symphony Space in New York City in a celebration of his 80th birthday.
The PSQ has collaborated with a diverse array of artists, such as jazz saxophonist Jane Bunnett, jazz pianists Egberto Gismonti, David Braid, pipa virtuoso Ching Wong, Dancetheatre David Earle, Pentaedre Wind Quintet, actor Colin Fox, author Sean Michaels, and New York turntable artist DJ Spooky.
The Quartet were nominated for a 2023 JUNO for their jazz album “Blue” with Diana Panton and Don Thompson.
Concert Details
- Find details about their Music Toronto concert at the Jane Mallett Theatre on May 21 [HERE].
Their anniversary season continues with tours across Canada, Poland, and Italy. Check their website here for future updates.
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