Callino quartet makes the classical scene
By Sam Healy
Irish American Post Dublin Bureau

The members of the Callino String Quartet claim to be exhausted after a grueling mini-tour, but to me they seem fresh as daisies. Indeed, their youth, cheer and (it would be unprofessional of me to omit this germane detail) undeniable beauty seem wholly at odds with the traditional image of the chamber ensemble, hoary and somber.

"It's unfortunate that this preconception about the classical world being stuffy and dreary still exists," lamented Sarah Black, Callino's cellist. The quartet recently played in secondary schools around Ireland, and many pupils, she said, "were amazed at how young we were, and at the fact that classical musicians could actually have a sense of humor."

The origins of the quartet are surprisingly haphazard. The four women (Ioana Petcu-Colan, Sarah Sexton, Samantha Miller and Black) were "thrown together" at the West Cork International Chamber Music Festival in June 1999. For that venue, the festival organizers assigned young participants to ensembles more or less at random. They then rehearsed together for a week and performed in public.

Generally, these temporary groups dissolve after they have served their purpose. When Callino performed, however, it was clear both to the audience and the musicians themselves that something special had been created, something that merited continuance.

The women had a synergy, a mutual understanding which is the very essence of chamber music. Halfway between orchestra — where the sheer volume of instrumentation suppresses idiosyncrasy — and solo performance — where no communication is required — chamber musicians must be technically expert and alive to nuances of harmony, restraint and interplay. This is as rare as one might expect.

The quartet had been acquainted before the festival, all having studied in London. But since agreeing to perform chamber music exclusively as Callino, they have become much closer and their ease in each other's company is manifest. Surely there must be some artistic friction. "Not at all. We love each other!" joked Sexton. Miller, the violist, conceded that there was the occasional contretemps during stressful rehearsals, but the quartet was one of friendship as much as musicianship.

The name derived from an anglicised corruption of the title of an old folk air, An Cailín Cois An tSuir ("the girl by the banks of the river Suir") — one of the first Irish folk songs ever to be written down in musical notation. The manuscript is preserved in Trinity College, Dublin. It is thus appropriate that the Callino Quartet begins its first official residency at Trinity College in September 2001.

Already, Callino has performed with Norbert Brainin of the Amadeus Quartet, Christophe Coin of Quatuor Mosaïque, Paul Silverthorne (principal viola with the London Symphony Orchestra) and members of the Skampa and Vanbrugh Quartets. They have toured in Ireland, Britain and the Netherlands and are resolved to establish themselves even more firmly on the international scene.

This is where the Irish Department of Foreign Affairs comes in. A new plan, Musicwide International, which the DFA developed in partnership with Music Network, Ireland's classical, jazz and traditional music development organization, was launched on July 3, 2001. The plan was designed to "secure high quality and high profile international performing opportunities for some of the best of Ireland's young and emerging... musicians."

Periodically, auditions will be held to choose the best emerging artists in the relevant disciplines for participation. The first such audition has already taken place; performers in the initial phase are Catherine Leonard (violin), Hugh Tinney (piano), Finghin Collins (piano), the Crash Ensemble and, of course, the Callino Quartet.

The first engagement for the young protégés will be the Bergen International Chamber Music Festival, Norway, on Aug. 23 and 24. Callino will play works by Haydn, Prokofiev, Schumann, Mozart, Mendelssohn and the Irish composer Ian Wilson. For the Haydn, Prokofiev and Schumann pieces, they will be accompanying fellow Musicwide acolyte: pianist Finghin Collins. Callino will also compete in the Shostakovich International String Quartet Contest this September in Moscow and as close at the National Concert Hall, Dublin, where they will give their début performance on Oct. 17.

Given that they grew up in Ireland, it is rather telling that every member of the quartet went to the Royal Academy of Music in London to study. Does this mean that Ireland simply doesn't have a world-class musical institution? To this contentious question, the girls replied with equanimity. "The (cultural) environment in London is so much bigger. It's really a matter of scale rather than quality," said Petcu-Colan.

Black added that, for ensemble musicians, it was extremely important to be able to play in groups and to be exposed to as much performance as possible. "It's stimulating to be surrounded by a lot of other people who are much better than you. People who have been in the Yehudi Menuhin school since they were 8, for example," she pointed out, adding that London, by virtue of its sheer size, could provide more of this exposure than any Irish city.

The other crucial factor for chamber groups (outside of stellar musical talent, of course) is their instruments. "If you want to compete or perform at an international level, you can't be let down by your instrument," the women explained. Callino currently has two violins and one violoncello on loan from the Royal Academy. They will soon need to buy their own, however, and they are seeking sponsorship for this and for commercial recording.