Quartetto Goldberg

The Quartetto Goldberg was founded in 2021 at the Stauffer Academy in Cremona, under the guidance of the renowned Quartetto di Cremona, and quickly established itself as one of the most dynamic and promising ensembles on the contemporary chamber music scene.

It is formed by violinist Jingzhi Zhang, second prize winner and Audience Prize recipient at the 2023 Paganini Competition in Genoa; violinist Giacomo Lucato; violist Matilde Simionato; and cellist Martino Simionato.

From the very beginning of its artistic journey, the ensemble has received immediate acclaim from both critics and audiences, earning prestigious awards such as First Prize at the Filippo Nicosia Chamber Music Award 2023, the Abbiati Prize “Piero Farulli” for Best Young Ensemble, and the Special Prize “Una Vita nella Musica – Giovani” awarded by Teatro La Fenice in Venice. It has also been selected as Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Brussels, in the class of Corinna Belcea and Miguel da Silva, and at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid under Günter Pichler.

The quartet has performed in some of Italy’s most important concert seasons, including MITO SettembreMusica, Società del Quartetto di Milano, Trame Sonore in Mantua, Società dei Concerti di Milano, Associazione Scarlatti in Naples, Amici della Musica di Palermo, Società del Quartetto di Vicenza, Società dei Concerti di Trieste, Filarmonica di Trento, Barco Teatro in Padua, Associazione Musicale Appassionata in Macerata, and Società Aquilana dei Concerti “Barattelli.” It has also collaborated with leading musicians such as Alessandro Carbonare, Kyril Zlotnikov (Jerusalem Quartet), Antoine Lederlin (Belcea Quartet), the Quartetto di Cremona, Miguel da Silva (former member of Quatuor Ysaÿe), and pianist Costanza Principe.

Internationally, the quartet has appeared at major festivals including the Lofoten Festival in Norway, Vibre! Festival in Bordeaux, Crans-Montana Classics in Switzerland, Schleswig-Holstein Festival and Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland in Germany, Zeist Music Days in the Netherlands, Musique à Flaine and La Nuit du Quatuor in France, Verão Clássico in Lisbon, and Allegra Festival in Sofia. Through collaborations with Italian Cultural Institutes, embassies, and consulates, it has also performed in Morocco, Saudi Arabia, and Finland, and completed two tours in Japan and China.

The Quartetto Goldberg is a regular guest of Rai Radio 3, appearing in programs such as La Stanza della Musica, Piazza Verdi, and I Concerti del Quirinale. It is part of the MERITA platform and the Le Dimore del Quartetto network, with which it has developed projects across Europe, receiving the title of Ensemble of the Year in 2022.

The name pays homage to J.S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, symbolizing an aesthetic based on musical research, expressive clarity, and direct, intense communication.

Jingzhi Zhang | violin
Giacomo Lucato | violin
Matilde Simionato | viola
Martino Simionato | cello