Aviv Quartet Appoints New First Violinist

The French violinist Anna Göckel will step into the role, succeeding Sergey Ostrovsky

After 27 years, the Aviv Quartet has a new first violinist. The French violinist Anna Göckel has been appointed to the role, where she will join Philippe Villafranca (violin), Noémie Bialobroda (viola), and Daniel Mitnitsky (cello).

She succeeds outgoing first violinist Sergey Ostrovsky, who was a founding member of the quartet and has given exceptional service over close to three decades.

Anna Göckel studied with Luc-Marie Aguera, as well as with David Grimal at the Hochschule für Musik in Saarbrücken.

Prior to this, she worked with Boris Belkin in the Netherlands and with Jean-Jacques Kantorow at the Paris Conservatory.

A semi-finalist at the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition, Göckel was a founder member of the Karénine Trio, with whom she won the ARD International Music Competition in Munich.

Formed in Israel in 1997, the Aviv Quartet won the Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition and received Second Prize (with no First Prize being awarded) at the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition. The group studied with the Amadeus and the Alban Berg Quartets, with Isaac Stern, and with Quatuor Ysaÿe.

"We thank with all our hearts our colleague and dear friend Sergey Ostrovsky for his unconditional commitment to the Aviv Quartet," the quartet wrote. "His generosity and contagious passion for the repertoire have been a great source of inspiration, and made all these years together an unforgettable musical adventure."

"We welcome the violinist Anna Göckel, an extraordinary musician who unites a soloist’s stature with the soul of a genuine chamber musician. We are all thrilled to open this new chapter in the history of the Aviv Quartet."