The Forte String Quartet

The Forte String Quartet, now celebrating its 20th Anniversary, enjoys wide acclaim as an ensemble of "accomplished and focused chamber musicians who have a gift for making interesting programmes" as well as a distinctive talent for "penetrating exposition of the score [Beethoven Op. 18, No. 4] distinguished in its dramatic urgency..." as noted in The STRAD. FSQ was founded in 1990 and is currently comprised of award-winning artists originally trained in the classic schools of Bulgaria and the US. Each of FSQ's members emigrated to other parts of the world developing and honing a distinctly international sensibility through extensive study with noted teachers and performance in some of the most significant chamber ensembles and orchestras in Europe and the United States. The Quartet was very pleased to be Ensemble-in-Residence at Manhattan Virtuosi Orchestra and at Brooklyn Conservatory of Music.

FSQ is now comfortably at home on concert stages throughout the New York region, the East Coast, and across the United States as well as European venues.

FSQ's signature old world quartet sound coupled with its more western sensibility can be readily recognized in its chamber concerts as well as its distinctive educational programs. The Quartet's original educational programs have been a regular part of FSQ tours and a vital feature of the New York City public school system for many years. The irresistibly popular "Alex in the Stringland", a fusion of musical theater, chamber music, and educational demonstration includes onstage interaction with members of the audience.

The FSQ's repertoire interests lie decidedly within core string quartet programming. However, most concerts include examples of the FSQ's wide range of contemporary repertoire, including several works by Roumi Petrova whose "Bulgarian rhythms set Dennis Rooney's foot to tapping at FSQ's ambitious program at Weill Recital Hall" as noted in The STRAD. Several of Ms. Petrova's quartets were premiered by the FSQ.

The breadth of the Quartet's other activities includes recordings and broadcasts for WNYC - New York, Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, WNYE-New York, Bulgarian National Radio and Television, chamber concerts throughout the United States and regular concert appearances in New York City venues such as Barge Music, Weill Hall/Carnegie Hall, Brooklyn Center for Performing Arts, Donnell Library, Brooklyn Library Series, and a variety of international venues throughout greater Europe and the Mediterranean.

Members of The Forte String Quartet: Hristo Popov (violin), Stanislav Nikolov (violin), Krasi Ivanov (viola) and Kalin Ivanov (cello)