Established in 1983 as part of the Banff Centre’s 50th anniversary, the Banff International String Quartet Competition is held once every three years. Directed by Barry Shiffman, this year's competition offers over $500,000 CAD in cash, prizes, and career development opportunities which include touring, a recording residency, the Southern Methodist University Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence Prize, an Esterházy Foundation Residency with concerts at Haydn Hall in Eisenstadt and the Lucerne Festival, and an opportunity for a two-week Chamber Music in Residency at the prestigious Britten Pears Arts in England.

You can watch this year's entire competition LIVE on The Violin Channel until August 31. Tune in here! 

The last winners of the competition are the VC Artist Isidore String Quartet. We caught up with the ensemble's cellist, Joshua McClendon, to get the inside scoop on what it was like winning the international competition.

 

What is your best memory from the whole BISQC experience?

My favorite memory from BISQC was our very first night in Banff. I recall meeting up with three or four other quartets to hang out and everyone was so friendly and welcoming that my pre-competition nerves were immediately put at ease!

 

What did it mean to you to win such a prestigious competition?

Personally, winning BISQC was a validating experience. I have wanted to pursue a quartet career for as long as I can remember and still recall when I discovered BISQC on YouTube for the first time as an early teen, immediately becoming determined to get there someday. Winning nine years later made me believe that if you work hard enough and truly believe in your goals, anything is possible!

 

How did winning the competition help you in your career?

Winning BISQC changed everything for us. Before the competition, we had only played in front of small audiences four or five times, most of which being a single piece and not even a full program. That said, winning BISQC quite literally started our career.

 

Can you tell us about the support you received aside from the cash prize?

The Banff Centre has supported us in every single aspect of our quartet career so far by offering incredible mentorship, helping us navigate the logistical challenges of traveling, sponsoring tours, and generally being the quartet’s lifeline for any and all of our needs!

 

How do you prepare for a competition, either individually or as a group?

Preparing for a competition is particularly tricky, as I find most of the challenges to be mental as opposed to the playing itself. The most important thing, in my opinion, is to practice performing (even if only small sections!) and you rehearse everything with utmost musical commitment, confidence, and relaxation. If this is done far enough ahead of time, both your body and mind will more easily settle into that state when you go to perform that repertoire under such high pressure. Muscle memory isn’t just about the notes — it’s also about how you feel when you play them!

 

What projects are you excited about in the coming year?

This is a huge year of collaborations for ISQ, so we’re thrilled to perform alongside some really incredible musicians and make lots of new friends!

 

What are your top 3 rehearsal tips for quartets?

  1. Always try everything. You never know how you really feel about something until you try it — even if it’s something that you think you’d never do!
  2. Take time away from the repertoire. My group firmly believes in isolating various chamber-music-playing techniques and working on them without the distraction of the repertoire. Whether it’s group sound quality, balance, articulation, pitch, breathing, or anything along those lines, I’d advise taking something like a Bach chorale or a few group scales to work on these things together and I can assure you that you’ll feel much better when returning to working on your rep!
  3. Don’t get too caught up in the grind and learn to recognize when time away is necessary. Sometimes we have days where the group or certain individuals within the group are exhausted or generally not in the right headspace for a productive rehearsal, and we won’t hesitate to cut a rehearsal short and come back fresh the next day. This has always worked in our favor as opposed to forcing it!

 

How has the group evolved since winning Banff?

I’m sure ISQ has evolved in many ways since BISQC, but the one thing that immediately comes to mind is that we’ve started to settle into a groove with the touring lifestyle. It’s taken a few years, but the gears are turning pretty smoothly now!