Kamus Quartet

Terhi Paldanius, violin
Jukka Untamala, violin
Jussi Tuhkanen, viola
Petja Kainulainen, cello

The Kamus Quartet was formed in Helsinki in November 2002 by four first-year students at the Sibelius Academy. The Quartet began their studies with Risto Fredriksson, and later also studied with the members of the New Helsinki Quartet. In the summer of 2003, they met the Belgian Danel Quartet and started working intensively with them at Kuhmo and in Brussels. In the winters of 2004 and 2005, Kamus had the great privilege of meeting and studying with Hugh Maguire at Aldeburgh as the Britten-Pears Music School's Quartet in Residence.

Since 2005, Kamus has participated in the European Chamber Music Academy sessions, and has been an ECMA Ensemble Fixe since 2006. At ECMA they have had the opportunity to work with many inspiring artists, such as Hatto Beyerle and Johannes Meissl. (www.ecma-music.com)

The Kamus Quartet has given concerts in the largest festivals and cities in Finland, and have had concerts abroad, for example, in London, Paris, Vienna, Berlin, Brussels and Dublin. The quartet has collaborated with many Finnish contemporary composers and premiered their works, as well as recorded for the Finnish National Broadcasting Company (YLE). In July 2004, they won overall third prize and the prize for best performance of a compulsory piece at the Kuhmo International Chamber Music Competition. In November 2004, Kamus won the national Erkki Melartin Competition at Savonlinna, Finland.