Quartet Biography

The Benaim Quartet gained early recognition due to its self-discipline and musical standards. The Quartet developed it’s own style and esthetic interpretation of the works of Mozart, Beethoven and Shubert, following the tradition of the famous twentieth century quartets, Amadeus and Julliard.

Eager for new musical experiences, the Quartet established itself also in the contemporary repertoire from the Second School of Vienna until Pascal Dusapin.

During the 40th anniversary of “La Fabrica” (Benetton) at the George Pompidou Center in Paris, they performed as a quintet with William Barton, didjeridoo musician. In 2005 they recorded the Gustavo Beytelman composition for quartet and bandoneon with the famous bandoneonist Juan Jose Mosalini. In 2007 the Quartet performed in the Austrian Festival ‘Klangspuren’ on invitation of the Arditti Quartet, interpreting Pierre Boulez and John Cage.

The Quartet has won in the past several international prizes in the most prestigious international competitions for string quartets- ARD Munich (2004) and Bordeaux (2007). They also won the Salzburg Mozarteum Prize (2007). The Benaim Quartet is frequently invited to perform in world-famous concert halls and festivals in Europe, the United States and the Middle East.

Their recordings include works of Raymond Gallois Montbrun, Ernest Chausson and Gustavo Beytelmann.

In 2008 the Quartet underwent a period of transition and renewal, with its founder Yair Benaim continuing as its first violin. The present members of the quartet are experienced chamber musicians who played in some of the best East European quartets, all winners of international competitions, such as Evian, Prague and Lipizer (Italie).

The Benaim Quartet deeply appreciates the ongoing support of the AJAM association, Alsace.

Born in Israel, Yaïr Benaïm gained recognition among his generation winning the Chamber Music Prize of the Israel Broadcasting Authority competition followed by the prestigious “artist emeritus” status attributed by the national counsel for music and the arts. He is also a 7 times recipient of the America-Israel cultural foundation scholarships.

In 1997 his decisive encounter with the famous French violinist and pedagogue Maestro Gerard Poulet led him to reside in Paris, with the help of the French ministery of foreign affairs. Shortly after, he won the Nadia Boulanger International Foundation Prize and the third prize of the Pierre Lantier international competition. Since then he leads a career as a soloist and chamber music artist.

In 2000 he founded the Benaïm Quartet, which won distinguished international prizes (ARD-Munich, Bordeaux, Salzburg). The quartet toured and performed in France, Germany, Israel, Portugal, Austria, etc.

During this period he served two years as assistant maestro Gerard Poulet in the Conservatoire Superieur de Pais (CRR) and was also in charge of maestro Poulet’s class at the Alfred Cortot Ecole Normale de Musique. Due to his love for conducting, he conducts the string ensembles of the Conservatory of the 15th Ward of Paris, where he also teaches chamber music.

He recorded three CDs for the Polymnie Label (Jacque-Dupont, Gallois-Montbrun et Chausson), “Clasico y moderno” for the Maniana label and “La Chevre de Mr. Seguin” for Didier Jeunesse, distrubited by Harmonia Mundi.

Yaïr Benaïm plays on a Camillo Camilli violin from 1747, courtesy of M. Gérard Poulet.

Born in New York, Yuri Kuroda began her violin studies at the age of five at the ‘Suzuki Talent Institute’ with Satoru Arai, and then with Shigeki Oshita and Toshiya Eto. At nine she played the Bach Concerto with the Concertino Orchestra of Kyoto.

In 2003 she met Gerard Poulet who encouraged her to study in his class at the Ecole Normale de Musique de Paris, where she was awarded the ‘Diplome Superieur de Concertiste’ upon the unanimous decision of the members of the jury. In 2008 she received her diploma with highest honors from the ‘Conservatoire National de Paris’ (CRR). She has perfected her performance also under the training of Roland Daugareil, Jean Mouillere and Eichi Chijiiwa.

She has won prizes in a number of international competitions: “Toshiya ETO” in 2000, “J.S. Bach”( Paris) in 2004, “Prix Rodolfo Lipizer”(Gorizia) in 2006.

Yuri Kuroda has performed with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Japan, and recently she played the Sibelius concerto with the Philharmonic Orchestra of Czestochowa, in Poland.

She joined the Benaim Quartet in 2008.

Ms. Kuroda plays on a A. Guarnerius violin from 1697,courtesy of M. Yoshio Hirasawa.

Born in Georgia, the first prize viola winner of the national conservatory of Tbilissi (Georgia), Archil Kharadze received his diploma from the Music Academy of Moscow where he worked with Maestro Borisovski.
While in Moscow, he entered the Gnessine Institute in the class of Valentin Berlinski (the Borodine Quartet), where he graduated after perfection studies in chamber music.
From 1972 to 1979 he was solo viola in the Philharmonic Orchestra of Georgia in Tbilissi. In 1979 he created the Tbilissi Quartet with whom he won the first prize of the string quartet competition of the Soviet Union.
In the following year the quartet started its international career after winning the 2nd Grand Prize of the Evian International competition.
In 1987 the Tbilissi Quartet won the 1st Prize of the Dimitri Schostakovitch International Competition for String Quartets.
The deterioration of the political situation in Georgia prevented the quartet, then touring in France, from returning to their country. The French Ministry of Culture offered them residency in Blois during the years of 1993-1996, after which they ended their collaboration. From 1996 to 2001, Artchyl Kharadze was a professor at the Cairo Conservatory in Egypt.
Archil Kharadze plays on a ‘Francesco Ruggieri’ viola from 1716.

Born in Armenia, Paruyr Shahazizian studied cello at the ‘Special School of Music” in Erevan.

At age of 13 he won the first prize at the national Erevan cello competition. At 15 he entered the Ecole Normale de Musique of Merzlyakoff, where his teachers were Natalia Chakhovskaia and Gayane Mndoyan.

At age 18 he won the first prize at the Prague International competition of String Quartets.

The following year he was accepted at the national conservatory of Erevan, where he won a gold medal in the following disciplines:

· Cello solo

· chamber music ensemble

· Cello teacher

Following that, he obtained the cello first prize with distinction for excellence and virtuosity.

He played at the National Opera of Armenia, with the Armenian National Chamber Music Orchestra and with the Opera of Madrid. Then he joined the Khatchaturian Quartet and became the soloist of the orchestra ‘Armenian Virtuosi’. As well, he was a teacher for the cello and for the quartet at the national conservatory of Erevan.

In 2006 he was invited to be a resident artist of the association ‘Pour Que l’Esprit Vive’ at the Abbey de la Pree, France. He also received a grant from the ‘Academie des Beaux-Arts’ of Paris.