Casals Quartet Announces New Violist 

Spanish violist Cristina Cordero will succeed Jonathan Brown, who has played with the group for over two decades

The Spanish violist Cristina Cordero has joined the Casals Quartet (Cuarteto Casals), succeeding violist Jonathan Brown, who will be departing the group after 22 years to pursue other music projects. 

The other members of the quartet include violinists Vera Martínez Mehner and Abel Tomàs Realp, and cellist Arnau Tomàs Realp.

Born in Madrid in 1998, Cordero started playing the viola at age five and completed her music studies at Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía (ESMRS) and the University of Music and Performing Arts in Munich. Her mentors included Diemut Poppen, Hariolf Schlichtig, Nobuko Imai, Jonathan Brown, Wenting Kang, and Heime Müller. 

Cordero is a first-prize winner at the El Primer Palau competition, the International Chamber Music Competition Gerhard Vogt, Cidade Vigo National Viola Competition, and the Spanish Viola National Association Competition. Currently, she serves as a viola professor at Conservatorio Superior de Música de Aragón and Escuela Superior de Música Forum Musikae.

Founded in 1997 at Madrid’s Escuela Reina Sofía, the Casals Quartet achieved international acclaim after winning first prize at the London and Brahms-Hamburg competitions. 

Since then, they have performed all over the world including at Carnegie Hall, Philharmonie Cologne, Cité de la Musique Paris, Schubertiade in Schwarzenberg, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, and many more.

To date, the quartet’s discography with the Harmonia Mundi label includes 12 CDs, with repertoire ranging from lesser known Spanish composers Arriaga and Toldrá to Viennese classics Mozart, Haydn, Schubert, and Brahms, through to 20th-century favorites including Debussy, Ravel, and Zemlinsky.

Cordero will join the quartet in upcoming season highlights including cycles of the complete late Mozart quartets, as well as projects focusing on the Hungarian composers Bartók, Ligeti, and Kurtág.

“After 22 wonderful years of sharing music, experiences, and unforgettable moments, our dear colleague and friend Jonathan Brown has decided to embark on a new musical adventure in his home country, ending his journey as the violist of Cuarteto Casals,” the quartet posted on Facebook.

“There aren’t enough words to articulate everything Jonathan has contributed during his time in this project,” they added. “His musical, human, and intellectual qualities leave an indelible mark on each of us and extend to all the musicians, colleagues, and students who have had the fortune to learn from his talent, enthusiasm, and understanding of music.

“We want to express our affection and gratitude to Jonathan, who has been (and will always be) an indispensable part of this family called Cuarteto Casals.

We wish Jonathan and his family the best of luck in this new chapter of their lives.”

“We are incredibly excited to introduce a new member to our quartet, the Spanish violist Cristina Cordero,” the group wrote in a new post. “This is a new beginning for us, a moment filled with excitement, opportunity and plenty of ambitious projects. We are proud and lucky to be starting this new chapter alongside Cristina, a musician whose infectious energy and musical personality has been a rejuvenating force, rekindling our passion and understanding of the art of string quartet playing,” they said. “We can’t wait to share the sound of the new Cuarteto Casals on stage with all of you. Thank you and welcome to the family, Cristina!”