BAND BIO
“Bravo … ” Stephane Grapelli – Sold out Auckland concert
“A confectionery of musical delights …” – New Zealand Herald review
“Unquestionably … world class” – Aria Artists, Singapore
Prior to 1995,the ‘Starlight String Quartet’ was known as the ‘Jascha String Quartet’.In the early 1990s,renowned orchestra conductors Vladimir Verbitsky and Voltan Kojian made comments on the quartets versatility and remarkable and appealing performances – not only in the concert hall but everywhere!(Kojian having heard us performing at the airport at 6 am one morning while he was connecting flights). The name change came about when the groups original founding member and leader , J D Fennell , secured a marketing and distribution deal with international record label BMG (now Sony / BMG). Management at the time were certain that the name change would be beneficial in terms of a broader appeal and increased album sales.Of course,as the title suggests ,there is the implication of romance and for sure, ‘romantic music’ features prominently in our repertoire.The ‘Starlight Strings’ have sold more albums in New Zealand than any other string quartet.Only a few super star international classical musicians have outsold us.Without doubt, ‘Starlight Strings’ is well established as the most popular classical and easy listening ensemble in terms of high quality entertainment value.Our group also maintains it’s reputation for superb virtuoso concert performances.We are all full time professional musicians with many years of international performance experience .The following is a chronology of highlights in the ‘Starlight Strings’ performance schedule over the years:
1990 Quartet was formed . .. ‘discovered’ performing in a shopping arcade and invited to perform during the opening celebrations for the Aotea Centre during that year.Officially,the first string quartet to perform at the Aotea Centre.Regular guest artists at Aotea Centre between 1990 – 1997 for festivals, lunchtime and early evening recitals.