{"id":124326,"date":"2026-05-15T14:52:58","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T18:52:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/?p=124326"},"modified":"2026-05-15T14:52:58","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T18:52:58","slug":"preview-penderecki-string-quartet-celebrates-40th-anniversary-tour-toronto-concert","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ludwig-van.com\/toronto\/2026\/05\/15\/preview-penderecki-string-quartet-celebrates-40th-anniversary-tour-toronto-concert\/","title":{"rendered":"PREVIEW | The Penderecki String Quartet Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary With A Tour And Toronto Concert"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"The
The Penderecki String Quartet (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Penderecki String Quartet, one of Canada\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

Current members include violinist Jerzy Kaplanek<\/strong> from Piekary Sl, Poland, who joined the quartet in 1987, violist Christine Vlajk<\/strong> from Denver, Colorado, who joined in 1997, violinist Jeremy Bell<\/strong> from Toronto, who joined in 1999, and cellist Katie Schlaijker<\/strong> from Boston, who joined in 2013.<\/p>\n

They\u2019re celebrating the landmark anniversary with a wide ranging tour that lands in Toronto<\/strong> on May 21<\/strong> at the Jane Mallet Theatre. The concert, part of the Music Toronto season, will include Penderecki\u2019s String Quartet No.3, Mozart\u2019s String Quartet in D Major, K. 499, \u201cHoffmeister\u201d, and Schubert\u2019s Quintet with cellist Roman Borys<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

\"The
The Penderecki String Quartet (Photo courtesy of the artists)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Penderecki String Quartet<\/h2>\n

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 \u0141\u00f3dz, Poland in 1986, they asked composer Krzysztof Penderecki if they could name the quartet after him.
\nHe agreed, and so the Penderecki String Quartet was born.<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

The PSQ began touring across North America, and one of their early concerts took them to the Kitchener-Waterloo Chamber Music Society. The Penderecki\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n

The Quartet has been on the faculty at Laurier since 1991, and make their home in Waterloo.<\/p>\n

The Penderecki String Quartet perform Kelly-Marie Murphy\u2019s \u201cOblique Light\u201d in 2017:<\/p>\n