Amati Quartet

The Amati Quartet. Three string quartets bearing the name Amati have been based in Canada: Two separate Amati string quartets have performed on 17th-century instruments built by the Amati family of Italy, and owned by the University of Saskatchewan; and a third unrelated Amati String Quartet was based in Toronto, 1985-2000.

Keywords

Chamber Groups

Amati String Quartet (Saskatchewan 1968-71). This first Amati String Quartet was founded in 1968 by Murray Adaskin and three other faculty members of the University of Saskatchewan: Norma Lee Bisha, second violin, Michael Bowie, viola, and Edward Bisha, cello. It gave its first concert 2 Feb 1969. Later that same year, Robert Klose was named second violin and Norma Lee Bisha replaced Michael Bowie. The personnel remained stable until the group was supplanted in 1971 by the Canadian Arts Trio after fewer than 10 formal concerts. The quartet was too short-lived to develop a wide repertoire or a distinctive style.

Amati Quartet (Saskatchewan, established 2003). The University of Saskatchewan Amati Quartet in Residence was established in August 2003, also playing on the university's Amati instruments. Previously the quartet had been known as the Cole Quartet. The initial members were Marla Cole, first violin, b Marla Marie McLennan, Burlington, Ont, 9 June 1968, B MUS (U Saskatchewan 1989), ARCM (Royal College of Music 1994), M MUS (Royal College of Music 1996); Michael Swan, second violin, b Saskatoon 1963; Geoff Cole, viola; and Linda Bardutz, cello. In 2004 Luke Hnenny became second violinist and Peter Hedlin replaced Bardutz as cellist. The Amati Quartet performs a recital series yearly, and plays at various University of Saskatchewan events.

The Amati Instruments
The instruments are the only set in Canada built by the Amati family of Cremona - one violin in 1627, another violin in 1637, the viola in 1607, and the cello in 1690. The viola's back bears the painted crest of the Borghese family that commissioned it. All were purchased by the Saskatchewan collector Stephen Kolbinson and sold to the university in 1959. The Canadian Arts Trio (active 1971-5), which comprised Robert Klose (violin), Edward Bisha (cello) and Robin Harrison (piano), used two of the four Amati instruments owned by the university. The Amati instruments were lent to Victoria's Lafayette Quartet 1992-8. They have also occasionally been played by members of the Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra.

See also Instrument collections.

Amati Quartet
The Amati Quartet (University of Saskatchewan), 1969. Murray Adaskin, Norma Lee Bisha, Robert Klose, Edward Bisha (courtesy University of Saskatchewan Archives, A-4659).

Amati String Quartet (Ontario 1985-2000)

This separate, unrelated Amati Quartet was formed in 1985 by Joseph Peleg (first violin), Leslie Knowles (second violin), Rivka Golani (viola) and Daniel Domb (cello). Initially the quartet performed at the Peterborough Chamber Music Festival, and later was based in Toronto, performing at various Ontario festivals and concert series, eg, the Elora Festival. They were heard often on CBC Radio, where they premiered Andrew P. MacDonald's String Quartet No. 3 (The Delphinian), commissioned by Amati. In 1997, the Amati String Quartet became quartet-in-residence at the Shaw Festival, for which they recorded Christopher Donison's Rashomon Quartet. Subsequent members of this Amati Quartet included Mark Childs (viola), David Miller (cello), and Peggy McGuire (second violin). Other Canadian composers whose works the Amati Quartet of Toronto has featured include Srul Irving Glick and Milton Barnes.

Author Garnet Ward, Betty Nygaard King

Bibliography

'The Amati Quartet,' CanComp, 40, May 1969

"Making music with strings attached," Globe and Mail, 30 Nov 1996

"Saska-tuneless," Maclean's, 20 Jan 1997

Links to Other Sites

Canadian Music Centre
Search the extensive CMC multimedia website for audio samples, biographies, music scores, and interviews about contemporary classical works by Canadian composers. Registration required for some features.

Amati Quartet
A brief note about the origins of the Amati Quartet from the website "Events in the History of the University of Saskatchewan."

Sounds of music, 1931 - 1981
Flip through the pages of this digitized book which chronicles the history of the Saskatoon Symphony. Includes leading personalities associated with the symphony, major events, venues, and more. From the “Our Roots” website.