LAUDED as a “tightly crafted and beautiful instrument”, the Kontras Quartet is rapidly becoming one of the most vibrant young string quartets on the scene. The Quartet is all the more unique in that its members hail from four different parts of the world, which is why, in addition to offering fresh interpretations of the established string quartet canon, the Quartet is a firm advocate of new and unfamiliar compositions from each of their native countries. Kontras is currently in the second year of its tenure as the Hickory Metro Resident Quartet with the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC. Kontras competed against other seasoned string quartets from across the country to win the residency, which was established in conjunction with Chamber Music America in 1999.

WITH dozens of performances to its name every season, Kontras is committed to reaching people of diverse backgrounds through chamber music and cultivating enthusiasm for music in people of all ages. As such, the Quartet presents insightful pre-concert conversations about the background and context of its music to stimulate a deeper understanding of its programs. Kontras is fully engaged in the communities around North Carolina, performing more than 70 community concerts each year as a part of its residency. The Quartet has also developed a series of highly successful, specially designed educational arts programs for varied settings such as colleges, universities, retirement facilities and elementary schools.

MEMBERS of the Quartet are avid teachers and currently hold positions at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory and the NewArt School in Newton. They also mentor the young musicians of the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony through sectional coachings and masterclasses.

KONTRAS, which means “contrasts” in violinist Francois Henkins’ native Afrikaans language, debuted in Chicago after the four musicians met while performing in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The quartet’s members hold graduate degrees in performance from DePaul University, Indiana University, the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Their mentors include the Vermeer Quartet; Dr. Cliff Colnot, the principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary MusicNOW series; renowned violinist Ilya Kaler; and members of the Emerson String Quartet.