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Biography

Joel Garthwaite (Soprano), Hannah Riches (Alto), Lewis Evans (Tenor), Lauren Hamer (Baritone)

The LSQ demonstrate their belief that new music is essential to keeping the arts relevant in today’s world through their sustained commitment to its creation and performance. Their aim continues to be to provide it with as wide a platform as possible.

LSQ performances span a wide range of occasions and venues including Bryn Terfel’s Faenol Festival, Edinburgh Fringe Festival, recitals at established chamber music venues such as Lauderdale House, Wales Millennium Centre and The Warehouse plus TV and radio work with BBC Radio Wales, BBC Wales Today and BBC Radio 5 Live. A further element of the quartet’s work is through the Live Music Now! scheme, founded by the late Yehudi Menuhin.

The ensemble’s debut album ‘FLUX’, which is to be released in October 2010 on Signum Classics, features five new commissions by Gabriel Jackson, Ashley John Long, Lucy Pankhurst, Eric Schwartz and James Williamson as well as first recordings of works by Graham Fitkin and Keith Tippett.

As well as commissioning established composers, the LSQ are keen to support the development of emerging composers. This led to the creation of the LSQ New Music Award, which gives young composers at universities and music colleges the opportunity to have their works performed at a high profile London venue. The 2007 winning piece, ‘In Memorium’ by James Williamson was recorded on the LSQ’s album ‘FLUX’ and published by Staunch Music, the quartet’s own publishing company.

Their ‘Catching Sunlight’ project was awarded an MBF Ensembles Award in 2008. Initially commissioned by the LSQ for quartet and piano, composer and jazz pianist Dave Stapleton reworked the piece for jazz quartet and saxophone quartet. The Edition Records disc was released to critical acclaim with 4star reviews in publications including Jazzwise magazine and The Independent on Sunday and 5star reviews across Germany and Russia.

2009 proved an extremely busy year for the LSQ. In August they made the Welsh Proms debut to a sell out audience at St. David’s Hall, Cardiff with other festival performances at Deal Festival and Cambridge Summer Music Festival also being well received. The quartet contributed two pieces to an album of Graham Fitkin’s saxophone works, which is to be released on Forge Records in 2010 and in October they will begin their tenure as ensemble in residence at Young Composer of Dyfed. The quartet was also nominated for an Royal Philharmonic Society award in the Emerging Artists category.

2010 has so far included a tour to Salzburg with Live Music Now international, a semi final performance at St. Martin in the Fields Chamber Music Cmpetition and the recording of their ‘These Visions’ album of consisting of music by Welsh composers including John Metcalf, Hillary Tann, Chris Petrie, Christopher Painter and Peter Reynolds, which has also been signed to Signum Classics. The ‘These Visions’ project has been generously supported by both Arts Council Wales and Ty Cerdd at the Millennium Centre.