LAUDED as a “tightly crafted and beautiful instrument”, the Kontras String Quartet is rapidly becoming one of the most vibrant young string quartets on the scene. Kontras began its professional touring career in 2009 and has been garnering acclaim ever since. The quartet is all the more unique in that its members -- violinists Dmitri Pogorelov and Francois Henkins, violist Ai Ishida and cellist Jean Hatmaker -- hail from four different parts of the world.

THE quartet is currently in the third year of its tenure as the Hickory Metro Resident Quartet with the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC. Kontras competed with other seasoned string quartets from across the country to win the residency, which was established in conjunction with Chamber Music America in 1999. As the focal point of their residency, Kontras presents a series of chamber music concerts, sponsored by the Friends of the Quartet, throughout the season. The members also serve as principals of the orchestra while in residence.

IN addition to offering fresh interpretations of the established string quartet canon, the Kontras Quartet is a firm advocate of new and unfamiliar compositions from each of their native countries -- Russia, South Africa, Japan and the USA. As such, the quartet presents engaging pre-concert conversations about the background and context of its music to stimulate a deeper understanding of its programs. The quartet’s 2012 - 2013 season includes appearances at numerous festivals and universities throughout the United States; a week of intensive study at the Juilliard String Quartet Seminar; and collaborations with the Kruger Brothers, the NewArt Ballet School, and pianist David Gross.  Kontras’ performances are frequently featured on classical public radio.

WITH hundreds of performances to its name in just the past few seasons, Kontras is passionate about reaching people of diverse backgrounds through music and cultivating enthusiasm for music in people of all ages, and has been awarded grants to support their outreach activities in non-traditional venues. They have spent much time developing a series of specially designed educational arts programs for varied settings such as colleges, retirement homes, universities, hospitals and elementary schools. The quartet is very active in communities around North Carolina, performing more than 70 community concerts each year as a part of their residency.

THE Kontras Quartet are in demand as teachers, chamber music mentors, and orchestral coaches. Members are currently on faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory and the NewArt School in Newton, and they mentor the young musicians of the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony through sectional coachings and masterclasses. Kontras has also worked with young audiences in Illinois, Michigan, Florida, Indiana and Virginia.

KONTRAS, which means “contrasts” in violinist Francois Henkins’ native Afrikaans language, debuted in Chicago after the four musicians met while performing in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. The quartet’s members hold graduate degrees in performance from DePaul University, Indiana University, the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music, and the Chicago College of Performing Arts. Their mentors include the Vermeer Quartet; Dr. Cliff Colnot, the principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary MusicNOW series; renowned violinist Ilya Kaler; and members of the Emerson String Quartet.

To learn more about a member, please select an image below.