Czech Chamber Music Society • Wihan Quartet

Leoš Čepický (violin), Jan Schulmeister (violin), Jakub Čepický (viola), Michal Kaňka (violoncello)

The Wihan Quartet, celebrating its fortieth anniversary in 2025, is one of the leading string quartets to emerge from the great Czech school of performance in recent years. Praised by the New York Times for possessing a sound that is “deeply pleasurable and also deeply traditional” and called “one of the world’s finest chamber ensembles” by BBC Music Magazine, the quartet has gained an extraordinary reputation for its interpretation of the Czech domestic repertoire and beyond.

The quartet perform regularly in the Czech Republic and the United Kingdom, and previous seasons have included tours and appearances at major festivals throughout Europe, the United States, East Asia and Australia. Winners of the First Prize and the Audience Prize in the 1991 London International String Quartet Competition, the quartet is a laureate of many international competitions, including the Prague Spring Festival and Osaka Chamber Festa. Past career highlights include a period as the Czech Chamber Music Society Resident Ensemble at the Rudolfinum Dvorak Hall, Prague, and their years as Richard Carne Quartet in Residence at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance.

The Wihan Quartet is respected for its world-class recordings and has been described by International Record Review as ‘one of the best quartets in the world today’. With over twenty-five recordings to their credit, the quartet has received international critical acclaim. Their recent Smetana and Dvořák recording has been awarded 5 stars from BBC Music Magazine, while their 2020 collaboration with pianist Mimi Shikimori of Franck and Fauré quintets was hailed by the Sunday Times as a ‘deeply satisfying disc’.

Founder members Leoš Čepický and Jan Schulmeister were joined by violist Jakub Čepický in 2014 and cellist Michal Kaňka the following year, succeeding original members Jiří Žigmund and Aleš Kaspřík.