Tour Dates: 22 Jul - 30 Jul, 2011

"...a profound understanding of the works.”
- Manuel Pedro Ferreira, PÚBLICO, 2005

Alexander Stewart, first violin
Marcos Lázaro, second violin
Paul Wakabayashi, viola
Luis André Ferreira, cello
Reviews

Biography

The national Portuguese string quartet Quarteto Lacerda was founded in 1990. Besides performing a traditional classical repertoire, with a special emphasis on Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, Quarteto Lacerda also dedicates much of its attention to the great and unjustly neglected Portuguese masterpieces. Quarteto Lacerda has released two albums to date. They have performed in most major festivals and venues in Portugal, as well as in Spain and England. In 2007 they gave a very successful concert in Whitstable in Kent, which included works by Debussy, Freitas-Branco, Delgado, Shostakovich and themselves. In 2009 Quarteto Lacerda took part in a unique project that involved performing all the string quartets by Joseph Haydn to celebrate the bi-centenary of his death. The concerts were held in Portugal, Madeira and the Azores and were broadcast on national radio.

Alexander Stewart, First Violin

Born in London in 1964, Alexander Stewart began his studies at the age of six with his father, Walter Stewart. He later studied in Portugal and was granted a scholarship at King’s School, Canterbury. During this period he was awarded the Double Top Music Scholarship and won the King’s School prizes several times. Stewart has given concerts and recitals in England, Poland and Portugal, and has recorded for both radio and television. He is presently one of the concert masters in the Orquestra Sinfónica Portuguesa. Stewart is a founding member of the Lacerda String Quartet.

Marcos Lázaro, Second Violin

Born in Cascais, Marcos Lázaro began playing the violin at the age of seven, and was awarded the 2nd Prize for Young Musicians. He became a member of the Jugendsinfonie Orchester der Régio with Maestro Albert E. Kaiser and performed many concerts throughout Europe. Lázaro has been invited as concertmaster by Orquestra de Câmara Portuguesa and Ginásio Ópera Orchestra. For Almada’s 2010 New Year’s Concert Lázaro was the soloist for Piazzolla’s Cuatro Estaciones Porteñas with the Damas de S. Carlos string orchestra. In May 2008, Lázaro became a member of Quarteto Lacerda. He is presently the violin professor at the Instituto Gregoriano in Lisbon.

Paul Wakabayshi, Viola

A native of California, Paul Wakabayshi studied violin and viola. As a student of Lillian Fuchs at the Manhattan School of Music, he worked closely with the American String Quartet as well as studying conducting with Glen Cortese and Allan Gilbert. He was awarded the Kotschalk prize for excellence in chamber music upon graduation. His repertoire included not only the classical cannon but also quartets of Berio, Schulhoff, Bartok, Golijov and Ligeti. Wakabayshi has recorded for EMI, Koch and Newport Classics, and has given master classes. Wakabayshi currently teaches viola and chamber music at the Academia Nacional Supeior de Orquestra and at the University of Evora.

Luis André Ferreira, Cello

Luis André Ferreira first began playing the cello at the National Conservatoire of Lisbon. He graduated Cum Laude and was awarded the Augusto Serras prize from the Rotary Club Foundation as the most promising music student from the National Conservatoire.

Ferreira performs regularly as a soloist with the Lisbon National Conservatoire Orchestra, and at solo and chamber music recitals in the Netherlands, Germany, France, Portugal, Spain and Belarus. Ferreira is currently finishing a Post Graduate Course at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam with Monique Bartels. He was awarded a scholarship from the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation. Luís André Ferreira became a member of the Quarteto Lacerda in May, 2008.

Reviews
“… Not only was the individual technical excellence and balance between the members remarkable, but also the richness of ensemble; where the harmonic construction and musical understanding were perfectly mirrored with coherent phrasing and homogenous ensemble playing; thus revealing a profound understanding of the works.”
- Manuel Pedro Ferreira, PÚBLICO, 2005

Paul Wakabayashi, viola

A native of California, Paul Wakabayshi  studied violin with Jenny Rudin and viola with Bernard Zaslav(formerly of the Fine Arts Quartet). A  student of Lillian Fuchs at the Manhattan School of Music, he worked closely with the American String Quartet as well as studying conducting with Glen Cortese and Allan Gilbert, being awarded the Kotschalk prize for excellence in chamber music upon graduation.

Long a specialist in chamber music, his teachers have included, amongst others, members of the Amadeus, Cleveland, Juilliard, Emerson, Guarneri, Griller and Hungarian String Quartet.

He was a founding member of the Cypress String Quartet as well as the Myriad Quartet(top prize winner of the Carmel International Chamber Music Competition) as well as a member of the Quarteto Olissipo and Trio Olissipo where the repertoire included not  only the standard classical cannon but also quartets of Berio, Schulhoff, Bartok, Golijov and Ligeti.  In addition he has performed with Arthur Balsam, Awadagin Pratt and the Mariposa Trio.

As a Classical and Baroque violist, he has performed with Divino Sospiro, Musicos do Tejo, Ensemble Baroque do Chiado, Flor da Musica and Ensemble Dom Joao V.

He has given master classes in Faro,  Artave, the Escola Profissional de Mirandela and the Escola Profissional de Viana do Castello and for the past three years has played and taught in the Adriatic Chamber Music Festival.  His Students have included winners of Jovens Musicos in both viola and chamber music.

He currently teaches viola and chamber music at the Academia Nacional Supeior de Orquestra and at the University of Evora.

He has recorded for EMI, Koch and Newport Classics.