Quatuor Zahir
Formed in 2015, this young ensemble has already performed at numerous festivals in France and around the world, but it was in 2017 that the Quatuor Zahir distinguished itself by winning the 9th Osaka International Chamber Music Competition (Japan), thus gaining recognition on the international scene. Since then, they have been invited to the Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie de Paris and the Konzerthaus in Vienna, as well as to the Folles Journées de Nantes, the Radio France Festival in Montpellier, the Forêts and Sully festivals, the Acropolis in Nice and the Toppan Hall in Tokyo.
The brainchild of the Conservatoire de Paris, where it took advice from the Quatuor Ébène and the Quintette Moraguès, the Quatuor Zahir is currently in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac. Sponsored by the pianist Jean-François Zygel since his appearance on the France 2 programme ‘La Boîte à Musique’, it is also a winner of the FNAPEC 2016 international chamber music competition and has won gold medals at the 2019 Manhattan, Vienna and Berliner International Music Competitions. After their first album in 2018, the Quartet began a recording collaboration with the Aparté label and produced ‘L'Heure bleue’, released in March 2024. These recordings reflect the values that unite this ensemble: the sharing of the same sensibility, a high standard and the desire to renew the musical landscape.
Like the fictional hero of P. Coelho's The Zahir, who sets out in search of a romantic ideal, these four saxophonists are committed to developing the quartet genre. Whether it be by performing original repertoire, thanks to their encounters with numerous composers such as Bruno Mantovani, Fabien Waksman, Ichiro Nodaïra and Graciane Finzi, or by collaborating with numerous artists: Félicien Brut, Jean-Charles Richard, Jorge Gonzales Buajasan, Adèle Charvet, Les Chanteurs d'Oiseaux, these musicians demonstrate their curiosity and creativity.
Guillaume Berceau (soprano saxophone) - Etienne Boussard (alto saxophone) - Florent Louman (tenor saxophone) - Joakim Ciesla (baritone saxophone).
Guillaume Berceau (soprano saxophone) - Etienne Boussard (alto saxophone) - Florent Louman (tenor saxophone) - Joakim Ciesla (baritone saxophone)
