The Tokyo String Quartet
Biography
Martin Beaver, violin
Kikuei Ikeda, violin
Kazuhide Isomura, viola
Clive Greensmith, cello
The Tokyo String Quartet has captivated audiences and critics alike since it was founded more than 30 years ago. Regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world, the Tokyo Quartet – Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda, violins, Kazuhide Isomura, viola and Clive Greensmith, cello – has collaborated with a remarkable array of artists and composers, built a comprehensive catalog of critically acclaimed recordings and established a distinguished teaching record. Performing more than 100 concerts worldwide each season, the Tokyo String Quartet has a devoted international following that includes the major capitals of the world and extends to all four corners, from Australia to Estonia to Scandinavia and the Far East.
Officially formed in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. Soon after its formation, the quartet won first prize at the Coleman Competition, the Munich Competition and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions. An exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon firmly established it as one of the world's leading quartets, and it has since released more than 40 landmark recordings. The ensemble now records on the Harmonia Mundi label.
The members of the Tokyo String Quartet have served on the faculty of the Yale School of Music as quartet-in-residence since 1976. Deeply committed to coaching young string quartets, they devote much of the summer to teaching and performing at the prestigious Norfolk Chamber Music Festival. They also conduct master classes in North America, Europe and the Far East throughout the year.
The ensemble performs on the "Paganini Quartet", a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, who acquired and played them during the 19th century. The instruments have been on loan to the ensemble from the Nippon Music Foundation since 1995, when they were purchased from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
Martin Beaver, violin
Martin Beaver, first violinist, is the newest member of the quartet, having joined the ensemble in 2002. A prominent chamber musician, he was a founding member of two Canadian ensembles: the Toronto String Quartet and Triskelion. He has appeared with the Boston Chamber Music Society and Bargemusic, as well as at Ravinia, the Seattle Chamber Music Festival and Reizend Muziekgezelschap in Amsterdam. As a soloist, Mr. Beaver has appeared with the San Francisco Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, Montreal Symphony, Toronto Symphony, National Orchestra of Belgium and the Portuguese Radio Orchestra, among others. He was a top prizewinner at the international violin competitions in Indianapolis and Montreal, and won a silver medal at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in Belgium. A former pupil of Victor Danchenko, Josef Gingold and Henryk Szeryng, he has served on the faculties of the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto, the University of British Columbia and the Peabody Conservatory of Music of the John Hopkins University in Baltimore and has presented masterclasses in North America, Europe and Asia. He is currently on the faculty at the Steinhardt School at New York University. Mr. Beaver has recorded for the René Gailly, Naim Audio, Naxos, SM5000 and Musica Viva labels.
Kikuei Ikeda, violin
Kikuei Ikeda, violinist, was born in Yokosuka and studied violin at the Toho Academy of Music with Saburo Sumi and Josef Gingold and chamber music with Hideo Saito. While still living in Japan, he performed as soloist with the Yomiuri Symphony and the Tokyo Metropolitan and Tokyo Symphony orchestras and toured Europe as concertmaster of the Toho String Orchestra. Mr. Ikeda came to the United States in 1971. He studied with Dorothy DeLay and members of the Juilliard String Quartet at The Juilliard School of Music, where he was a scholarship student. Mr. Ikeda was a prizewinner in the Mainichi, NHK and Haken competitions in Japan, the Washington International Competition for Strings in Washington, D.C., and the Vienna da Motta in Portugal. He has played the Mozart Violin Concerto with the Aspen Chamber Orchestra, given many recitals in Italy, New York and Tokyo, and has performed chamber music with numerous ensembles.
Kazuhide Isomura, viola
Kazuhide Isomura, violist, is a graduate of the Toho Academy, where he studied with Jeanne Isnard, Kenji Kobayashi and Hideo Saito. Upon his arrival in this country, he became assistant concert master of the Nashville Symphony, but his love for chamber music and the violin led him to The Juilliard School, where on full scholarship, he studied violin with Ivan Galamian and Paul Makanowitsky, chamber music with Robert Mann and Raphael Hillyer, and viola with Walter Trampler. Mr. Isomura is a founding member of the Tokyo String Quartet. He also records solo viola repertoire for MusicMasters/Musical Heritage Society.
Clive Greensmith, cello
Clive Greensmith, cellist, joined the quartet in June 1999. A graduate of the Royal Northern College of Music and the Musikhochschule in Cologne, his principal teachers were Donald McCall and Boris Pergamenschikow. He has held the position of principal cellist of London's Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. As a soloist, he has appeared with the London Symphony Orchestra, the Royal Philharmonic, English Chamber Orchestra, Mostly Mozart Orchestra, Seoul Philharmonic, and the RAI Orchestra of Rome. He has collaborated with distinguished musicians such as András Schiff, Midori, Claude Frank and Steven Isserlis, and has won several prizes including second place in the inaugural "Premio Stradivari" held in Cremona, Italy. Mr. Greensmith has served on the faculties of the Royal Northern College of Music, Yehudi Menuhin School and San Francisco Conservatory of Music and is currently on the faculty of New York University. Mr. Greensmith's recording of Brahms Sonatas with Boris Berman was recently released on the Biddulph label