Two New Opus Prizes!
During the Opus Awards annual Gala held on February 8 at Bourgie Hall in Montréal, the Molinari Quartet received two Opus Prizes, their 29th and 30th! Their CD recording of Luciano Berio’s complete string quartets continues to receive prizes and recognition. After the Abbiatti del disco 2025 Prize and a Diapason d’or, the recording was awarded the Album of the Year Prize in the Modern – contemporary music category. Also the December 14th 2024 concert Nocturnes was awarded the Concert of the Year prize in the Modern – contemporary music category. The Molinaris performed works by Bartok, Berio and Kurtag during that concert. Congratulations to all the winners and finalists of the 29th Opus prize Gala ! Many thanks to ATMA Classique for its confidence and to our loyal public who follows us for 29 years now! Many thanks to the Quiebec Music Council for these prizes and for its unwavering support of live classical music.
Deux nouveaux Prix Opus!
Lors du Gala des Prix Opus qui s’est tenu dimanche le 8 février à la salle Bourgie, le Quatuor Molinari a remporté deux Prix Opus, ses 29e et 30e ! Le CD de l’intégrale des quatuors à cordes de Luciano Berio du Quatuor Molinari continue de récolter les prix et reconnaissances. Après le Prix Abbiatti del disco 2025 et un Diapason d’or, c’est le Prix Opus de l’Album de l’année – musiques moderne et contemporaine, qui est décerné à cet enregistrement. Le concert Nocturnes du 14 décembre 2024 au cours duquel le Molinari a joué des œuvres de Kurtág, de Berio et de Bartók a quant à lui remporté le Prix Opus du Concert de l’année – musiques moderne et contemporaine. Félicitations à tous les lauréats et finalistes des 29e prix Opus. Merci à ATMA Classique pour sa confiance et à notre cher et fidèle public qui nous suit depuis 29 ans! Merci au Conseil québécois de la musique pour ces prix et aussi pour son engagement indéfectible au soutien de la musique de concert.
4 Nominations for the Opus Prizes!
The Molinari Quartet is very proud to have received four nominations as finalist for the Opus Prizes 2024-25. The two most recent Molinari Quartet CD’s, the complete string quartets by Luciano Berio and the complete string quartets by Giacinto Scelsi were each selected as finalists in the category Album of the year – Modern, contemporary music. Two of the four concerts in the Twentieth and Beyond series have also been nominated as finalists. The Winners’ of the 9th International Composition Competition Concert which was held on September 27 2024 and the December 14 2024 concert entitled Nocturnes are finalists in the category Concert of the year – Modern, contemporary music. The Opus Prize Gala will take place on February 8th 2026 at Bourgie Hall. The ceremony has become Quebec’s annual gathering of the artists and artisans of the musical industry. You can purchase tickets for the event by following this link. The gala will also be live streamed on the Facebook page of the Conseil québécois de la musique.
Podcast : In the Molinari Quartet’s Studio
The podcast “Le studio du Quatuor Molinari” is kicking off its second season. Three episodes are already available online. Following an episode about the start of the season and the first concert featuring our new violist, Cynthia Blanchon, host Jean Portugais presented a special episode in mid-November to mark the centennial of Italian composer Luciano Berio, whose complete string quartets were recorded by the Molinari Quartet on the ATMA Classique label. This CD won the 2025 Abbiati Record Award from the Italian National Critics’ Association as well as a Diapason d’Or in the October 2025 issue of the French magazine Diapason. In the third episode, titled “In the Studio of Composer Blair Thomson,” Le studio du Quatuor Molinari presents the second concert of the 2025–2026 season, Canadian Rhythms, which will take place on December 5, 2025, at the Conservatoire de musique de Montréal. The program for this evening includes works by Kelly-Marie Murphy (“Dark Energy,” 2007), R. Murray Schafer (String Quartet No. 4, 1989), and a new work by Blair Thomson (“Internesses,” 2025) — a commission by the Molinari Quartet. In this podcast, host Jean Portugais talks with Blair Thomson about this new work. This conversation offers a deeper insight into the Montreal-based composer, shedding light on his career, his sources of inspiration (miniatures by Webern and Kurtág), and his influences (Tenney, Feldman, Varèse, Bartók). The podcast also features excerpts from this new score, performed by the musicians of Le Molinari during a rehearsal in their studio. During the interview, the composer is open and generous, revealing the source of his inspiration: a run along the shores of the Pacific Ocean near familiar rock formations seen in a unique light, as well as his love for his parents. Blair Thomson’s work Internesses is, in a sense, coming to life right before our ears! Don’t miss it! Quelques liens vers les balados : Acast, Apple Podcasts, Youtube, Balado Québec, Amazon Music, Spotify
Diapason d’or
The Molinari Quartet is honoured to have received the prestigious Diapason d’or in the October 2025 issue of the French classical music magazine Diapason for its recording of the complete string quartets by Luciano Berio on the ATMA Classic label. A Diapason d’Or is an award given by the French magazine Diapason for exceptional classical music recordings, reflecting very high standards of quality. Read the review “More vibrant and warm than the Arditti Quartet (DG), the Molinari Quartet impresses with its wide range of colours, its fervent interpretation, and the great vitality it brings to this extraordinary chamber music exploration.”