Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda first violin·Hugo Meder second violin·Jean Sulem viola·Xavier Gagnepain cello
Formed in 1981, the Rosamonde Quartet has been performing for 40 years on the most prestigious international stages. It has acquired the "fondu", that absolute homogeneity which only comes after years of working together and which is the hallmark of the finest ensembles. Their approach to the repertoire reflects a deep reflection on the works they take on, in all their stylistic diversity.
Heir to the great French school of quartet playing, the Rosamonde Quartet trained at the Paris Conservatoire and Yale University. From its beginnings it benefited from the teaching of the great masters of the twentieth century through its meeting and friendship with Raphael Hillyer, violist for 25 years with the Juilliard Quartet, and Eugene Lehner, violist of the Kolisch Quartet and a friend of Schoenberg and Bartók.
At the International Competition in Evian in 1983 the Rosamonde Quartet was unanimously awarded the "Prize for the best performance of contemporary works" and the "Special Prize of the international jury of critics", and in 1986 it won First Prize at the International String Quartet Competition organised by the Union of European Radios in Salzburg.
Since then, the Rosamonde Quartet has pursued an international career. It appears regularly in the great European concert halls, including the Mozarteum in Salzburg, London's Wigmore Hall, Bruckner Haus in Linz and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées in Paris. Critics worldwide have hailed the beauty of their tone, the precision of their style, and the refinement and elegance of their phrasing.
The discography of the Rosamonde Quartet comprises more than twenty CDs, distinguished by the highest awards. It reflects the quartet's wish to explore the most varied repertoire, from the Viennese classics to French music and contemporary works.
The Rosamonde Quartet's recent recordings are devoted to the great Viennese repertoire. In the album of Beethoven's last quartets (op 132, 133, 134), it offers its vision of these summits of chamber music, the fruit of a long and deep maturation. Built around the theme of lineage, their latest album “Viennese Legacy I” (Arion, released in 2023) sets side by side, in two masterpieces of the classical string quartet literature, the mastery and inventiveness of Haydn (op 74 no. 3 “The Rider”) and the inspiration and emancipation of the young Beethoven (op 18 no. 1). The new album “Viennese Legacy II” (ARION, to be released in 2025), recorded with their new second violinist Hugo Meder, focuses on the Second Viennese School with the quartets of two disciples of its founder Arnold Schoenberg, Alban Berg and Anton Webern.
With Henri Dutilleux
The Rosamonde Quartet has worked closely with the composers Pascal Dusapin, Philippe Fénelon, Renaud Gagneux, Philippe Hersant, György Kurtág, Jacques Lenot, Michèle Reverdy, François Sarhan, Eric Tanguy, Ton-That Tiêt, Tatiana Probst and above all Henri Dutilleux, who regarded their reading of his quartet – which the Rosamonde recorded twice in his presence – as the reference version of the work.
Two documentary films about the Rosamonde Quartet have been made by Vincent Bataillon: “Ainsi la Nuit” bears witness to the long collaboration of the Rosamonde Quartet with Henri Dutilleux; “Notes pour un Quatuor” is about the creative process in the performance of Beethoven's quartets.
The members of the Rosamonde Quartet are committed to passing on their knowledge as teachers (at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris and de Lyon, and at the Conservatoire and the Pôle Supérieur of Boulogne-Billancourt) and through masterclasses in France and abroad.
Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda has been first violin of the Rosamonde Quartet since its founding in 1981, with which she pursues an intense schedule of concerts and recordings.
Since 2012, Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda has been Professor of Chamber Music – string quartet class – at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Lyon, where she coordinates the Chamber Music department.
She is regularly invited to give masterclasses in France and internationally, and is one of the mentors of the international educational programme Musethica.
Alongside her work as a chamber musician and teacher, Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda performs as a soloist with several orchestras, including the Ensemble Intercontemporain and the orchestras of Radio France, Cannes and Nice… She regularly collaborates with the Orchestre de Paris and the Ensemble Symphonique de Genève.
Very active in contemporary music, Agnès has worked closely with the composers Pierre Boulez, György Kurtág, Mauricio Kagel, Henri Dutilleux and Franck Zappa, as well as with artists such as Raphael Hillyer and Eugene Lehner, violist of the Kolisch Quartet and a friend of Schoenberg and Bartók.
Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where she was awarded a Premier Prix in violin and a Premier Prix in chamber music. She also holds a doctorate in mathematics and an Habilitation à Diriger des Recherches.
Agnès Sulem-Bialobroda is a Chevalier of the Ordre de la Légion d'Honneur.
Hugo Meder is today establishing himself as one of the most promising violinists of his generation. He has been acclaimed by the critics: Le Monde speaks of his « jeu intense », while Bachtrack notes that he « rappelle ces grands violons du passé […] sans jamais donner le sentiment d’une imitation ».
A prizewinner at prestigious international competitions — among them the ARD Competition in Munich, Lyon, Melbourne, Osaka and the Haydn Competition in Vienna — he pursues a career as a passionate chamber musician and an accomplished concert performer. He has appeared as a soloist with the Orchestre Français des Jeunes, the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, the Orchestre des Lauréats du Conservatoire and the Orchestre Appassionato.
Born into a family of winegrowers in Alsace, Hugo Meder began the violin at the Strasbourg Conservatoire with Ana Reverdito-Haas. In 2016, he entered the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris, in the class of Alexis Galpérine for violin and of Claire Désert for chamber music. He graduated in 2021 with the congratulations of the jury, before continuing his training in the advanced cycle (Diplôme d’Artiste Interprète). Since 2022, he has been artist in residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Belgium.
A founding member of the Trio Pantoum alongside Kojiro Okada (piano) and Bogeun Park (cello), he has benefited from the advice of musicians such as Thomas Adès and members of the Alban Berg, Ysaÿe, Ébène and Arditti quartets. Their first album, Modern Times (La Dolce Volta, 2025), was singled out by Le Monde and received a « Diapason Découverte ».
In parallel, Hugo has been a member of the Rosamonde Quartet since 2022, with which he has made a recording of Schubert, Berg and Webern for the Pierre Verany label.
In 2025 and 2026, Hugo Meder will perform notably at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Philharmonie de Paris and the Bouffes du Nord, as well as on tour in the United States, Denmark and Germany.
Jean Sulem studied at the Paris Conservatoire in the class of Serge Collot. In 1981, Pierre Boulez chose him to become a soloist of the Ensemble Intercontemporain. Very active in contemporary music, he has performed key works of the contemporary solo viola repertoire (Zimmerman, Maderna, Berio, Donatoni, Nunes, Grisey, Holliger, Ton That Tiet, Lévinas, Ligeti...) at the greatest international festivals and has inspired numerous new works.
For many years, Jean Sulem has been a partner musician of the pianist and conductor Sir András Schiff.
Alongside his work as a soloist, Jean Sulem pursues an important career as a chamber musician. Since its founding in 1981, he has been the violist of the Rosamonde Quartet, with which he pursues an intense international career.
In 1989 he succeeded Serge Collot and, at the age of thirty, became Professor of viola at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris. He regularly gives masterclasses in Europe and the United States. He is also regularly invited to sit on the juries of international competitions.
A curious mind and a committed chamber musician, Xavier Gagnepain expresses his passion for music in the most varied forms.
A pupil of Maurice Gendron and the winner of several international prizes (Munich, Sao Paulo…), he is invited by renowned orchestras of the European stage. A passionate performer of the music of our time, he was the first to play the complete cycle dedicated to Paul Sacher.
He teaches at the PSPPBB and at the CRR of Boulogne-Billancourt and is invited to give many public classes in France and abroad. He also devotes himself increasingly to conducting, in France, Spain and Portugal.
His book « Du musicien en général…au violoncelliste en particulier » (Cité de la Musique) has enjoyed lasting success.
His discography includes the complete works for cello and piano by Gabriel Fauré with Jean-Michel Dayez, and a CD devoted to the music of Vincent Paulet.
Finally, since January 2023, he has been president of the Association Française du Violoncelle.
