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Biographical Notes

"There are several excellent string quartets in this country,

but none seems to outshine the Quatuor Arthur-LeBlanc."

(Ottawa Citizen, August 2005)

The Quatuor Arthur-Leblanc (composed of violinists Hibiki Kobayashi and Brett Molzan, violist Jean-Luc Plourde and cellist Ryan Molzan) is widely recognized as one of Canada's finest string ensembles, recently making their debut at Carnegie Hall. As of September 2005, the QAL proudly assumed the role of quartet-in-residence at the Université Laval in Quebec City.

In addition to their role as invited professors in the Laval string faculty, where they also teach chamber music, the QAL continues to pursue the highest levels of artistic excellence in its national and international appearances. Performing some 60 concerts a year, the quartet is frequently invited to play on Canada’s major concert stages and regularly tours abroad, including frequent appearances in Japan. The quartet has been warmly appreciated at numerous festivals including Ottawa, Festival of the Sound, Domaine Forget, Orford, Ravinia and Santander (Spain). Programs have included appearances with such distinguished artists as cellists Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi and Janos Starker, pianists Anton Kuerti, Marc-André Hamelin, Stéphane Lemelin and Dang Thai Son, clarinettist James Campbell and the Shostakovich, Orford and Kocian Quartets.

Named after the great Acadian violinist, the Arthur-LeBlanc Quartet was founded at the Université de Moncton in 1988 and continues to build a chamber music culture in the region through its association with the University. With the establishment of its residency at Laval, the QAL has forged a strong artistic and educational link between these institutions.

The quartet invests in the future of chamber music with various activities including chamber music workshops and masterclasses, as well as teaching at summer academies. The QAL’s strong commitment to new music, especially from Québec and across Canada, led them to commission and premiere works by composers André Prévost, Kelly-Marie Murphy, Vincent Collard, Jacques Desjardins, Martin Valcke and Anita Sleeman.

Since its creation, the artistic value of the quartet has been recognized and encouraged by the Canada and New Brunswick Arts Councils, CBC Radio, and the Jeunesses Musicales of Canada. In 1998, the quartet was awarded the JMC’s Cécile-Mesnard-Pomerleau prize, for remarkable contribution to the organization.