The Ardeo Quartet

Carole Petitdemange, 1st violin
Olivia Hughes, 2nd violin
Caroline Donin, viola
Joëlle Martinez, cello

A young French string quartet, Ardeo was formed at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris in the string quartet class of M. Hentz and D. Hovora. During his studies, he benefited from the masterclasses of D. Poppen, P. Frankl of the Fine Arts Quartet, the Talich Quartet, M. Skampa, F. Salque, A. Meunier and A. Moccia.

For the academic year 2004-2005, he obtained a scholarship granted by the company Sacyr to follow the teaching of Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartet) at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid.

Since September 2005, the quartet has been part of the Proquartet training program, through which it has been able to work with artists such as W. Levin and G. Pichler. At the same time, they attend masterclasses with the Hagen Quartet at the Salzburg Mozarteum and with P.-L. Aimard at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse in Paris.

In September 2004, the Ardeo Quartet won a 2nd prize and two special prizes at the International Shostakovich String Quartet Competition in Moscow.

In May 2005, he won the first prize of the FNAPEC, awarded by the Polignac Foundation, and in June, he was unanimously awarded the second prize and the international press prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition.

The quartet is a laureate of the "Déclic" program initiated by Cultures France in partnership with Radio France and Mécénat Musical Société Générale. Since 2005, the Ardeo Quartet has been supported in its activities by Mécénat Musical Société Générale.

The quartet has been invited to various festivals: Christmas in the Kremlin (Moscow) as a soloist accompanied by the Kremlin orchestra (conductor: Misha Rachlevsky), Santander (Spain), Kuhmo (Finland), Musiques d'Été d'Épernay, as well as the festivals of Comminges, Entrecasteaux, Gigean...

He regularly plays with renowned artists: C. Richter, M. Arrignon, A. Meunier, S. Gazeau, J.-D. Castellon, F. Sauzeau, G. Letang...

Joëlle Martinez plays an instrument by Charles Jacquot (1846), lent by the Zilber Foundation. The Ardeo Quartet is dressed by the stylist Corinne Sarrut.