Doha String Quartet

Published: 06 Jan 2013 - 10:11 pm | Last Updated: 04 Feb 2022 - 02:11 pm

Two violins, a cello and a viola

By Isabel Ovalle

The Qatar Philharmonic Orchestra was founded in 2007. This project brought to Doha 101 musicians from 29 different countries, carefully selected among thousands that attended auditions in strongholds of classical music like Russia, Austria or Germany. Step by step, the orchestra became the perfectly well-oiled machine it is today and, in the words of renowned musician Lorin Maazel, “it is taking its place among the great orchestras of the world”.

Thanks to Qatar Foundation, and other institutions that belong to it, such as Qatar Music Academy, Doha has grown to be a hub for talent. Talent, paired with passion for music, brought together four vocational musicians from Germany, Venezuela, Romania and Russia, who were looking to take their friendship to the next level. Musically speaking, this means playing together, not only in the Philharmonic, but also in a quartet.

This is how in 2010 the Doha String Quartet was born, joining two violins, a cello and a viola. Andrea Mereutza, born in Romania, who plays the viola, Nina Heidenreich, from Germany, and Dmitri Torchinsky, from Russia, who both play the violin, and Christoph Schmitz, born in Venezuela, at the cello.

The members of Doha String Quartet all came to Doha to join the Philharmonic Orchestra and are founding members. “Within the orchestra there are several groups of people that gather to play chamber music but we are the longest running and most regular,” explained Dmitri Torchinsky. The quartet generally plays together and sometimes has other members joining.

Andrea Mereutza, daughter of musicians, began studying music when she was 10, gave an eloquent description of what each instrument brings to a quartet. “Imagine human voices signing: A young girl, who sings very high, is the first violin, which mostly sings and plays the melody, while the second violin and the viola are the middle voices which bring harmony, or just the second theme; and then comes the cello, with the voice of a strong man.”

On his part, Dmitri Torchinsky explained that “in chamber music there is no conductor, all of us do that job, we have to tell the story without disturbing anyone, yet each adding something”. Torchinsky added that “some of the best music ever written is for the string quartet, the repertoire is outstanding”.

“It takes tremendous rehearsal time to blend four instruments that have a similar production technique. Chamber music is a way to intimately communicate with one another, we are friends and music is something that adds to our interpersonal relationships,” added the violinist.

Back in 2008 there were over 3,000 applications for the QPO, resulting in 1,500 live auditions and the selection of only the best. The vast majority of these musicians began studying music very early in their lives and complete at least 16 years of intensive studying.

Dmitri, who started to play the violin at the age of five, and also grew up in a family of musicians, explained that this field requires as much discipline in training as elite sport, as well as many hours of rehearsal. When the quartet has to prepare for a performance, rehearsal begins one month in advance, and requires approximately 12 hours a week of practice. Whereas the orchestra, which gives regular concerts, rehearses four to five hours, five to six days a week for each concert.

Last year the orchestra launched its own chamber music program and currently there are two regular venues: the Opera House and the Museum of Islamic Art (which holds chamber music concerts once a month). The Doha String Quartet plays in some of these concerts and their next performance will be on April 17 at the Katara Cultural Village Opera House, with a repertoire that includes Mozart and Schubert pieces.

The Doha String Quartet’s story is intertwined with that of the Philharmonic, to the point that the musicians have professionally and personally matured together thanks to the orchestra and the quartet. These musicians contributed to the making of a Philharmonic Orchestra from scratch and have seen quite a development in themselves, their colleagues and the audience, to the point that now most of the concerts are sold out.

This growth has encouraged them to give back part of what they have learned during their life in music, which in some cases, like that of violinist Nina Heidenreich, is of almost three decades.

Thereby, they enjoy playing for schools and teaching at the Qatar Music Academy, the sister company to the QPO, which is also under the umbrella of Qatar Foundation. “We are playing a lot of concerts for children so the next generations know about classical music,” said Andrea Mereutza, from Romanian decent but raised in Germany.

During their time in Doha, these musicians have witnessed the country mature culturally, thanks to projects like Katara Cultural Village or the Museum of Islamic Art. They are fulfilling the commitment to bring together both cultures, West and East, and hope to someday have a Qatari colleague in QPO.

The Peninsula

The Philharmonic was founded in 2007 as a center in the Qatar Foundation, chaired by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser. It is composed of 101 professional musicians chosen in international auditions from 29 countries. The Philharmonic’s first music director, Nader Abbassi, was succeeded in September 2011 by Michalis Economou. Han-Na Chang will become music director in September 2013. The orchestra has also worked with conductors such as Lorin Maazel, Dmitri Kitajenko, Gerd Albrecht, Marc Minkowski and James Gaffigan. The QPO gives on average two performances per week at the Katara Opera House, which opened in December 2010 with the world premiere of Marcel Khalifé’s Rababa Concerto.

There are three ways to buy tickets to the QPO: at Virgin Megastore at the Villaggio and Landmark Malls or online also through Virgin Megastore approximately two weeks before performances and directly at the Opera House on the concert date starting one hour before the performance. The Doha String Quartet also performs at private events and can be booked through the orchestra management.

Upcoming concerts:

A Viennese New Year’s Concert

Sunday, January 6, 7:30 pm

Katara Cultural Village Opera House

Chamber Music at MIA: Schubert Trio

Thursday, January 10, 6:00 pm

Museum of Islamic Art Atrium

Beethoven’s Triple Concerto

Saturday, January 12, 7:30 pm

Qatar National Convention Centre (QNCC) Theatre

Chamber Music Series: Poulenc Trio

Wednesday, January 23, 7:30 pm