Kukal Quartet string quartet

The Kukal Quartet was founded in autumn of 2020 by four exceptionally talented young musicians, who, notwithstanding their youth, have great respect for the legacy of the Czech quartet school.

Eliška Kukalová, Klára Lešková, Elnara Taghizade and Filip Rufer combine the traditional and the modern modern musical approaches which they acquired during their studies at prestigious universities in Vienna, Salzburg, and Prague. In May 2021, soon after their foundation, the ensemble attracted attention by winning third prize and the Laureate title at the Prague Spring International Music Competition. The quartet impressed at the competition primarily with; the liveliness and authenticity of their musical expression, the unique ensemble dynamics and the strong individuality of its members. The Quartet were inspired and mentored by leading personalities of the Czech music scene such as Peter Jarůšek (Pavel Haas Quartet), Jakub Fišer (Bennewitz Quartet) and Tomáš Jamník.

In the summer 2021 the quartet had the opportunity to participate in masterclasses with Yo-Yo Ma, Noah Bendix Balgley, Allan Nilles, Josef Špaček, Jan Fišer and Lukáš Vondráček.
In the 2022-23 season they will perform at the Prague Spring and The Dvořák Prague International Music Festival , in Slovakia, Germany and Spain. 

The quartet bears the name of the important Czech contemporary composer, Ondřej Kukal.