Jacqui Dankworth & Brodsky Quartet
Biography Jacqui Dankworth & Brodsky Quartet
Jacqui Dankworth
is one of the most highly regarded vocalists in the UK. Her concert appearances and her stylistically diverse recordings showcase her virtuosic and effortless mastery of a wide spectrum of genres. Known primarily as a jazz singer, Jacqui also draws on folk, soul and blues influences. Her voice has been described as “multi-faceted” and “incomparable” by The Times.
Jacqui is also an accomplished actor, having performed leading roles with the Royal Shakespeare Company, The National Theatre and London West End musicals. It was her original intention to make acting her main vocation, but by the mid 90's the “singing bug” had hit and she decided to focus on a career as a singer.
She has collaborated and worked with The Brodsky Quartet and Courtney Pine, Marvin Hamlisch, Paloma Faith, Alan and Marilyn Bergman, Gretchen Parlato, Clare Teale, Georgie Fame, David Gordon, Charlie Wood, Anthony Kerr, Liane Carroll, Sara Colman, Tim Garland, Chris Allard, Malcolm Edmonstone, Chris Garrick, The BBC Big Band, RTE, LSO and RPO Orchestras and the legendary Chick Corea.
In 2013 she released her new CD “Live to Love” featuring material written by Jacqui and Charlie Wood alongside some beautiful classic songs. She performed at the Cadogan Hall in London in April with musicians from the RPO and the BBC Big Band in a program featuring songs from “ The Stage and Screen”. She also appeared in The Opera Company’s new production of Berg’s “Lulu”, entitled “American Lulu” with performes at the Edinburgh Festival, The Bergenz Festival in Austria and a week at the Young Vic Theatre in September.
The New album has received many accolades including a four star review in The Guardian, has been play listed by Jazz FM and championed by Jamie Cullum and Terry Wogan on Radio 2. Since September she has been touring the UK with her band, she has also toured Scotland with the SNJO and Tommy Smith and will appear as a special guest with his Big Band at the London Jazz Festival. She also appeared as a special guest on the “Jazz at the Philarmonic” concert at the 2013 London Jazz Festival. Jacqui performed a sell out concert on New Years Eve with the RTE orchestra and big band at the National Concert Hall in Dublin. In 2014 she will continue to tour with her band and will headline at Ronnie's Scott's in February.
Brodsky Quartet
Since forming in 1972, the Brodsky Quartet have performed over 3,000 concerts on the major stages of the world and have released more than 60 recordings. A natural curiosity and an insatiable desire to explore has propelled the group in a number of artistic directions and continues to ensure them not only a prominent presence on the international chamber music scene, but also a rich and varied musical existence. Their energy and craftsmanship have attracted numerous awards and accolades worldwide, while their ongoing educational work provides a vehicle to pass on experience and stay in touch with the next generation.
Throughout their career of almost 50 years, the Brodsky Quartet have enjoyed a busy international performing schedule, and have extensively toured the major festivals and venues throughout Australasia, North and South America, Asia, South Africa and Europe, as well as in the UK, where the quartet is based. The quartet are also regularly recorded for television and radio with their performances broadcast worldwide.
Over the years, the Brodsky Quartet have undertaken numerous performances of the complete cycles of quartets by Schubert, Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Britten, Schoenberg, Zemlinsky, Webern and Bartok. It is, however, the complete Shostakovich cycle that has now become synonymous with their name: their 2012 London performance of the cycle resulted in their taking the prestigious title ‘Artistic Associate’ at London’s Kings Place and, in October 2016, releasing their second recording of the cycle, this time live from the Muziekgebouw, Amsterdam.
The Brodsky Quartet have always had a busy recording career and currently enjoy an exclusive and fruitful relationship with Chandos Records. Releases on the label include ‘Petits Fours’, a celebratory album of ‘Encore’ pieces arranged exclusively by the quartet for their 40th anniversary; a Debussy compilation; ‘In the South’, featuring works by Verdi, Paganini, Wolf and Puccini; ‘New World Quartets’, comprising works by Dvorak, Copland, Gershwin and Brubeck; the quartets of Zemlinsky, including the world premiere recording of his unpublished early quartet; two Brahms discs, featuring the iconic Piano and Clarinet Quintets; the Shostakovich Complete Quartets. For Beethoven’s 250th anniversary year they have released a highly acclaimed box set of the late quartets.
As well as partnering many top classical artists for their performances and recordings, the quartet have made musical history with ground-breaking collaborations with some of the world’s leading artists across many genres and have commissioned and championed many of the world’s most respected composers.
Awards for recordings include the Diapason D'Or and the CHOC du Monde de la Musique and the Brodsky Quartet have received a Royal Philharmonic Society Award for their outstanding contribution to innovation in programming.
The quartet have taught at many international chamber music courses and have held residencies in several music institutes including, at the start of their career, the first such post at the University of Cambridge and latterly at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, where they are visiting International Fellows in Chamber Music. They were awarded Honorary Doctorates by the University of Kent and an Honorary Fellowship at the University of Teesside, where they were founded.
The quartet took their name from the great Russian violinist Adolf Brodsky, the dedicatee of Tchaikovsky's violin concerto and a passionate chamber musician.
Krysia Osostowicz plays a violin made by Francesco Gofriller, 1720; Ian Belton’s violin is by Giovanni Paolo Maggini, c.1615. Paul Cassidy plays on La Delfina viola, c.1720, courtesy of Sra. Delfina Entrecanales and Jacqueline Thomas’s cello is by Thomas Perry of Dublin, 1785.
