Quartetto Pianova

Interpretative depth, technical brilliance and a distinctive stage presence has brought about the considerable acclaim Quartetto Pianova enjoys.

Based in Winterthur, Switzerland, the ensemble consists of artistic personalities employed as professors at the renowned Zurich University of the Arts and in solo positions in the famous Musikkollegium Winterthur.

Apart from concertising and lecturing, researching the origins and backgrounds of some of the greatest works in the chamber music literature in order to further develop their interpretation belongs to the basic understanding of the group.

Rahel Cunz completed her musical studies with Rudolf Bamert in Zurich and with Aida Stucki-Piraccini in Winterthur. She extended these by active participation at the master classes of Joseph Gingold and Gérard Poulet in Greensboro, USA, of Boris Belkin in Siena and of Rainer Kussmaul at the Carl-Flesch-Akademie in Baden-Baden.
Rahel Cunz won first prizes at a number of competitions, for example, at the Swiss competition for young musicians and at the Brahms competition. She was awarded grants for career development by the Migros Co-operative Society and by the cultural foundations of the city and the canton of St. Gallen.
Rahel Cunz has been employed part-time as leader of the Musikkollegium Winterthur since 1994. Apart from this she undertakes a broad range of concert activities, both as soloist with various orchestras at home and abroad and also as chamber musician with several different formations. She has made radio recordings and has been a guest performer at many Festivals (Riva del Garda, Prager Sommer, Braunwald and Davos).

Nicolas Corti (*1956) studied viola with his father Ottavio Corti at the Zurich Conservatory, after having completed his maturity in a grammar school. There he did his teaching, orchestral and solo diplomas. He then went to New York for intensive studies with Emanuel Vardi (the former soloviolist under Arthuro Toscannini with the famous NBC orchestra) for one year.
In 1982, Corti was co-founder of the Amati Quartet that has become internationally known, thanks to its many concert appearances in most famous concerthouses in the world and recordings with several compactdisc prices in Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.
With the Amati Quartet Corti had numerous concerts with great musicians as: Krystian Zimerman, Bruno Canino, Karl Engel, Rudolf Buchbinder, David Geringas, Antonio Meneses, Anner Bjilsma, Steven Isserlis, Eduard Brunner, Paul Meyer, Karl Leister, Bruno Giuranna, Gérard Caussé, James Galway, Jaques Zoon and others.
The Amati Quartet finished playing 2009. About 30 compact disques show the very high quality of this ensemble.

Since 1996, Corti teaches viola and chamber music at the Zurich University of arts (www.zhdk.ch)

He is now in the 5th season Violasoloist in the Winterthur Orchestra, the Musikkollegium Winterthur.

In 2008 he joined the Jury of the international Tromp Stringquartet Competition in Eindhoven (Netherlands).

Cobus Swanepoel was born in Johannesburg, South Africa in 1972. Growing up in Pretoria, he started playing the cello with Glenda Piek at the age of 6. He matriculated at the Pro Arte School as a pupil of Marian Lewin and continued his studies at the University of Pretoria with Gerard van de Geest obtaining
After receiving prizes such as the SASOL Music Prize and the JCI Jim Joel Music Scholarship he furthered his studies 1996 with Johannes Goritzki at the Robert Schumann Hochschule für Musik Düsseldorf, Germany (artist’s diploma) and completed his studies 2003 with a soloist’s diploma with Thomas Grossenbacher at the Zurich University of the Arts, Switzerland.

Also in 2003 Cobus Swanepoel was appointed head of the Bachelor in Music programme and lecturer at the Zurich University of the Arts. 2007 he received the title of professor from the Swiss government.

Cobus is a very active chamber musician, appearing in formations ranging from conventional piano trios and string quartets to cross-over groups and contemporary music ensembles playing dedicated works.
These performances frequently lead to festivals all over Europe.

Cobus Swanepoel regularly performs as a soloist and has, among others, performed works by
Beethoven, Brahms, Dvorak, Elgar, Françaix, Haydn, Lutoslawski, Penderecki, Saint-Saëns, Schubert,
Shostakovich and Tchaikovsky with orchestra.