The Gerhard Quartet provides an immediate answer to the question of why art exists. Its four members set aside any superfluous elements and devote themselves, with conviction and devotion, to serving the finest music — including an intelligent selection of contemporary repertoire — to reveal to us, without words, its meaning, or at least to place us face to face — under the best possible conditions offered by the live concert experience — before the mystery of art.
— Ramon Humet, composer
Lluis Castán & Judit Bardolet, violins
Miquel Jordà, Viola
Jesús Miralles, cello
Considered one of the most outstanding string quartets of its generation on the international scene, the Gerhard Quartet is distinguished by its remarkable sensitivity to sound and its deep respect for music as one of humanity’s greatest values.
As a quartet, their principal influences have been in Basel (Rainer Schmidt), Berlin (Eberhard Feltz), and Hanover (Oliver Wille), where they obtained the first-ever highest distinction (Matrícula de Honor) in chamber music in the history of the Hochschule. They were also members of the Chamber Music Institute Programme at the Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía under Günter Pichler, supported by a scholarship from the institution.
Winners of several national and international awards, the Gerhard Quartet has performed at major international venues including the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw Amsterdam (The Netherlands), Elbphilharmonie Hamburg (Germany), the Stadt-Casino Chamber Music Season in Basel (Switzerland), the Bordeaux String Quartet Festival and the Radio France Montpellier Festival (France), and the Musikamera Season at La Fenice in Venice (Italy), among others. They have also been invited to prestigious summer festivals such as the Schubertiada de Vilabertran, the Pau Casals Festival in El Vendrell, Aix-en-Provence, and Verbier.
Since 2023, they have been part of the MERITA Platform, which provides significant international visibility. They are Artists in Residence at the Auditori Josep Carreras (Vila-seca) and have undertaken long-term projects with the San Sebastián Musical Fortnight and the Torroella de Montgrí Festival, performing the complete string quartets of Shostakovich. Beginning in the 2026 season, they will once again serve as Artists in Residence at the Palau de la Música, presenting this same complete cycle.
Their strong commitment to contemporary music is noteworthy, with appearances at significant events such as the CNDM series in Madrid (Spain), Nuit de la Création in Aix-en-Provence (France), KunstFest Weimar (Germany), and the Arnold Schoenberg Center in Vienna (Austria).
Their performances have been broadcast by Catalunya Música, RNE (Spanish National Radio), NDR and SWR (Germany), the BBC (UK), and France Musique (France).
In terms of recordings, highlights include their album Portrait (Seed Music, 2016), awarded Best CD of 2016 by music critics; a release featuring works by Kurtág, Berg, and Schumann on the Harmonia Mundi International label; and their recent CD Ad Astra (Klarthe, 2023), with works by Ramon Humet and Debussy, awarded “Best Classical Album 2024” by 440 Magazine. Their participation in the documentary Revolutionary Quartet. L’enigma Gerhard by Xavier Bosch and Josep Badell, which received the prestigious IN-EDIT Award 2023, is also noteworthy.
The quartet is currently based in Tarragona, Catalonia.
Upcoming projects include a new CD featuring works by Bach, Shostakovich, and Tchaikovsky, as well as performances of the complete chamber works of George Enescu with pianist Josu de Solaun.
