“What most strikes one about the Henao Quartet is not the quality of their performances – which is, undoubtedly, extremely high in all details – but rather the psychological refinement in the way the four strings approach the musical text. By fully respecting the composer’s intentions, they immediately and unaffectedly conjure up the intended mood of each work, which is the most important quality of chamber music performance. In doing so, William, Soyeon, Giacomo and Stefano discover and restore the modernity of Schubert, Mozart and other composers. This ambition may seem more than challenging or almost impossible for four musicians who come from three different continents and who bring with them such varied cultures and experiences; yet.the Henao Quartet achieve this owing to hard and constant work in search of a unique and original voice” (Federico Fubini – Corriere della Sera).
The Henao Quartet (Violinists, William Chiquito (Colombia) and Soyeon Kim (Korea), violist, Stefano Trevisan (Italy) and cellist, Giacomo Menna (Italy), was founded in Rome in 2014 from within the Orchestra Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia in Rome. The ensemble’s great passion and precision are immediately evident to the audience at every concert. Not only have these qualities come about as a result of the players’ long-term and mature experience in one of the world’s most prestigious orchestras, where they have played alongside many celebrated soloists, but also through their obvious deep friendship with one another.
Since its founding, The Henao Quartet has been working with Günter Pichler of the Alban Berg Quartet at the Accademia Chigiana di Siena and, since 2018, at Escuela Superior Reina Sofia in Madrid. It has taken part in some of the most interesting Italian festivals and chamber seasons. In 2016 the Quartet appeared for the first time in the chamber season of the Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia performing the Quartet K 387 by Mozart and Quartet No 8 op.110 by Shostakovich. In 2017 and 2018, they also performed at the Accademia Chigiana which was followed by their debut at the Accademia Filarmonica Romana performing the Debussy and Ravel quartets.
This season the Quartet will debut with a live concert broadcast by “The Quirinale Cconcerts” for Radio 3, performing Shostakovich’s No 8 and Beethoven’s “Serioso” Quartet. The quartet’s large repertoire ranges from classical and romantic music to contemporary works, with special interest in the rare Italian quartet repertoire of the twentieth century. Without doubt, the multicultural aspect of this group of four musicians enables the perfect union in their interpretation which can be easily perceived throughout every performance.
The Henao Quartet has been a member of the prestigious European centre for chamber music, the Pro Quartet Paris since 2016.