About MISQA

Constance V. Pathy
Founder                                                                 MISQA

André J. Roy
General & Artistic Director, Conceptor                         MISQA

Paolo Corciulo
Marketing Director, Ideator
MISQA

It is with great enthusiasm and a sense of pride that I have founded the McGill International String Quartet Academy (MISQA) – enthusiasm, since I consider string quartet playing one of the highest forms of music making and a sense of pride since my alma mater, McGill University and its Schulich School of Music are achieving a high degree of proficiency in the formation of young string quartets.

String quartet playing demands great discipline, great sensitivity, and great teamwork, qualities that can stand one in good stead throughout life. As a string player and participant in many quartets myself, this repertoire has expanded my horizons beyond belief.

In accordance with McGill University’s standards of excellence, we are gratified that MISQA has become a veritable incubator of the next generation’s outstanding string quartets. The sense of fellowship that has developed among all participants at MISQA, including the audience, is truly astonishing and speaks to the transformative power of the arts.

Arts and education are powerful tools that make effective and meaningful contributions to the well-being of communities; they are the very core of the mission of MISQA.

It is a great pleasure to welcome you to the MISQA.

String Quartet playing is widely regarded as the pinnacle of musical creation, performance, and thought. In fact, it could be argued that no other chamber ensemble demands so much of its composers, players, and listeners.

Thanks to the continuous and outstanding generosity of Madame Constance Pathy, we have a unique opportunity to celebrate this pursuit of excellence by offering intensive training and coaching to the next generation of young artists in this field.

As educators, we have an important responsibility to teach, mentor and enrich the lives of our students, and consider it vital to nurture special events, such as MISQA, that will engage, entertain and transform our evolving student community.

MISQA is proud to play a vital role in developing generations of new musical leaders.

The Academy

The McGill International String Quartet Academy (MISQA) was created in 2010, with its first edition running from August 15 through 26. The aim of the Academy is to invite in Montreal world-renowned professors who are, or have been, members of the most prestigious string quartets in the last forty years, to teach and share their experience with exceptional young string quartets from different countries. These quartets are all ensembles who also have been selected to participate in the most prestigious international string quartet competitions. The Academy also welcomes younger quartets, ensembles that aspire to follow in their colleagues’ footsteps.

Mission

McGill International String Quartet Academy aims to promote the great tradition of string quartet by inviting the most significant practitioners of the genre to share their experience with and to educate some of the world most promising young quartets. A training organization, MISQA also organizes and produces concerts. Its public service mission and its relationship with different partners gives MISQA a specific character in our musical world.

IN ASSOCIATION WITH McGILL UNIVERSITY and the SCHULICH SCHOOL OF MUSIC

Hargurdeep Saini
Principal and Vice-Chancellor
McGill University

Sean Ferguson
Dean
Schulich School of Music of McGill University

PARTNERS