The Polish Cello Quartet was established in 2011 on the initiative of Tomasz Daroch, Wojciech Fudala, Krzysztof Karpeta, and Adam Krzeszowiec – four outstanding Polish cellists. The artists decided to establish this unique chamber ensemble to show the original sound of the cello quartet to a wider audience.
PCQ musicians had the honour of learning from leading cellist-teachers in Poland (Paweł Głombik, Stanisław Firlej) and internationally (Frans Helmerson, Gary Hoffman, Michael Flaksman, Jelena Očić, Julius Berger, Jeroen Reuling). They have gained their experience as artists in renowned cultural centres in Europe, including in Cologne, Mannheim, Augsburg, and Brussels. Each of them has won numerous awards in cello and chamber music competitions. All members of the quartet conduct intensive teaching activities and are lecturers at the music academies in Katowice, Wrocław, and Łódź. In addition, they are leaders of the cello sections of four leading Polish orchestras: the NFM Wrocław Philharmonic, Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra (NOSPR), NFM Leopoldinum Orchestra, and the Polish Baltic Philharmonic Orchestra.
PCQ regularly plays during chamber music series in the major concert halls in Poland and Europe, including the new seat of the NOSPR, Warsaw Philharmonic, National Forum of Music, and Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The ensemble is also a frequent guest at many international music festivals, such as Wratislavia Cantans, Vilnius Festival, I Suoni delle Dolomiti, International Chamber Music Festival Schiermonnikoog, Emanations Festival, Asiagofestival, Q’arto Mondi, Jazztopad, Musica Polonica Nova, and Musica Electronica Nova. In the 2021–2022 season, the Polish Cello Quartet celebrated its 10th anniversary. As part of the anniversary celebrations, PCQ performed at several prestigious events, including Cello Biënnale Amsterdam, Festival Internacional Cervantino, and KaposFest.
PCQ has collaborated with numerous renowned classical and jazz musicians, including Gary Hoffman, Julius Berger, Giovanni Sollima, Mario Brunello, Jadwiga Rappé, Tomasz Strahl, Dominik Połoński, Tony Malaby, Joëlle Léandre, Nat Wooley, and Wojciech Myrczek.
PCQ’s repertoire includes mainly works originally composed for cello quartet. It is constantly expanded to include contemporary compositions by Polish and international composers, among others Artur Zagajewski, Piotr Moss, Mikołaj Piotr Górecki, and Annelies Van Parys. Most of these works are premiered by the Polish Cello Quartet. The artists prefer a democratic model of collaboration in concert. Within the line-up, they regularly swap individual parts – the nature of the cello quartet allows for this. Thanks to taking turns playing different parts, the ensemble can boast a rich palette of sounds and diversity of interpretations.
The members of the quartet are the initiators and organisers of the International Cello Academy in Nysa. ICA brings together famous professors from abroad and a large group of young students of the cello, while actively promoting chamber works written for cello ensembles. The fruit of this initiative is the regularly performing Cello Academy Orchestra – ICA Orchestra.
In 2017, PCQ’s debut album Discoveries was released. A year later, at the invitation of the Silesian Quartet and the Chandos label, the ensemble recorded Grażyna Bacewicz’s Cello Quartet. This album received the Fryderyk 2019 award for the Most Outstanding Recording of Polish Music. In 2019, together with Iza Połońska and Leszek Kołodziejski, the quartet recorded an album with songs by Jerzy Wasowski and Jeremi Przybora. November 2023 saw the release of the Polish Cello Quartet's latest album, Chopin Project.
Since 2014, the Polish Cello Quartet has been a resident ensemble of the National Forum of Music.
