Le Dimore del Quartetto

The network enhancing young string quartets and historic houses in a circular economy

“The strength of the project is its simplicity. I had the idea to connect two fascinating worlds which have precious resources and interchangeable needs. I started with my friends and the success has been immediate.”

Francesca Moncada (founder)

THE STRING QUARTET

The string quartet is the highest expression of chamber music and, above all, an incredible human experience: it is a dialogue between four brains, four voices and four hearts, in which every artistic choice is the result of a long, and often complicated, mediation. You can easily get these dynamics between musicians by observing closely a quartet’s performance. The life as a quartet requires long periods of coexistence and shared study. One of the main problems for young quartets at the beginning of their career, who need to travel and rehearse frequently, is to find low-cost spaces in which they can study together.

THE HISTORIC HOUSES

Historic houses are scattered all over the European territory and are integral part of our heritage. They can be private houses, tourist accommodations, farms, museums, foundations; they are all different but share some characteristics such as, availability of wide spaces, beauty, the need to be enhanced and bequeathed to future generations.
They are often located in rural areas, where it is difficult to live throughout the year. It is onerous to maintain, restore and heat these monuments.
Living in a historical house means, first and foremost, keeping it alive. Allowing the past to be witness to its epoch, putting it in dialogue with the present and the future.

LE DIMORE DEL QUARTETTO

Le Dimore del Quartetto is an organisation supporting young string quartets at the beginning of their careers and enhancing the heritage of historic houses in a circular economy. The main activity is very simple and it is based on an exchange: when the ensembles have artistic commitments far from their hometown, landlords offer free hospitality for maximum one week, and quartets thank them by giving a concert. The concert can be either private or open to the public.
Through a well-structured cultural activity the soul of historic houses is kept alive and quartets find venues where they can gather and study quietly. Historic houses host top-level concerts and can become a cultural landmark for the local community and the territory. Le Dimore del Quartetto format is indeed able to attract and gather a diverse audience in unknown and extraordinary places.

Le Dimore del Quartetto started its activity in 2015 and the network currently counts:

• 258 historic houses in 15 countries
• 76 quartets and trios (average age of musicians: 28)
• 15 residences per month (559 days of residency in 2019)
• around 200 concerts every year
• more than 30.000 concert attendees (13,5% of the audience has been for the first time to a classical music concert with Le Dimore del Quartetto)

The network of houses has been created in partnership with Associazione Dimore Storiche Italiane, Fondo Ambiente Italiano (the Italian National Trust), European Historic Houses, Casas Históricas y Singulares, Embassies and Cultural Institutes, but it is open to all houses that have the possibility to host and belong to dynamic and passionate people.
The network of musicians, that now includes not only string quartets, but also string trios and piano trios, is of excellent quality. The artistic director Simone Gramaglia (Quartetto di Cremona) selects the best emerging groups coming from all over the world.

WARDS AND ACHIEVEMENTS

2017 | Le Dimore del Quartetto is presented at the Italian Chamber of Deputies among the “Best practices of cultural dissemination”.
2018 | Le Dimore del Quartetto is selected by Fondazione Cariplo among the 20 winners (out of 321 participants from all over Italy) of the “Cultural Innovation” call.
2019 | Le Dimore del Quartetto is awarded the prestigious Europa Nostra Award / European Heritage Award in the category “Education, Training and Awareness-Raising”.

SPECIAL PROJECTS

ARCHILLUM – Itineraries of Music and Discovery | is a widespread festival aimed at enhancing the heritage of hidden and less-known territories and the String Quartet repertoire played by outstanding young ensembles. A series of concerts hosted in various historic houses scattered all over the territory encourages the audience to discover the region. The audience of ARCHILLUM is given a map gathering itineraries and points of cultural interest nearby the historic houses. The discovery of the territory is enacted through multisensory and different activities such as walks, local products’ and wine tastings, guided tours of the historic houses, the gardens and other cultural landmarks. ARCHILLUM intends to reach out a new and diverse audience. All the concerts are for free, last 50 minutes and are introduced by the House owner and the musicians. The atmosphere of a concert played inside a historic house chamber is intimate and unique and overcomes the usual distance between the musicians and the audience in a concert hall.

ARCHIPELAGO | is a concert season hosted at the Auditorium “Lo Squero” in Venice and created by Le Dimore del Quartetto and Fondazione Giorgio Cini, in collaboration with Fondazione Gioventù Musicale d’Italia and Accademia Walter Stauffer. It entails a series of concerts involving excellent young chamber music ensembles and soloists coming from all over the world. ARCHIPELAGO aims at being a fundamental step in the growth path of the young artists, who can improve and perfect their repertoire in new ensembles during a period of residency and study at the Fondazione Giorgio Cini. The purposes are the promotion of beauty, giving value to the history and the spaces of the Foundation, and the diffusion of chamber music while helping young artists to enter the job market.

Other projects:

• FOURISMORE – The String Quartet as a metaphor for collaboration and team work | a multimedia team-building tool which introduces the principles that guide the work of a string quartet such as trust, creativity, diversity and shared leadership.
• ANDANTE PRESTISSIMO | tailor-made travel itineraries and private experiences organized by Le Dimore del Quartetto in collaboration with national and international travel agencies.
• Organization of Advanced Music Masterclasses with renowned international teachers in historic houses (Music With Masters; Espresso Masterclass).

OUR PARTNERS