Within just a few short years the Hugo Wolf Quartet has developed itself from an insider's tip to one of the most sought after string quartets of its generation. Critics the world over have provided testimony to its rapid development: "New Stars On The Quartet Heaven" (Der Standard, Vienna); " Urgent and impassioned, but with an absolute commitment to the ideal values of every note" (Los Angeles Times); "The Hugo Wolf Quartet exceeded all expectations" (Süddeutsche Zeitung).

Established in 1993, the quartet has now concertized for over ten years in the most prominent concert halls and renowned festivals such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie Berlin & Cologne, the Palais des Beaux-Arts Brussels, Symphony Hall Birmingham, Wigmore Hall London, Carnegie Hall New York, Suntory Hall Tokyo, Herkulessaal Munich, Tonhalle Zurich, Rudolfinum Prague, Mozarteum Salzburg, Musikverein and Konzerthaus Vienna, Edinburgh Festival, Schubertiade Feldkirch, Carinthian Summer, L'été musical dans la vallée du Lot, Colmar Festival and many others. Extensive concert tours regularly take the ensemble to South America, Mexico, Japan, the U.S. and elsewhere.

For its tenth anniversary the Hugo Wolf Quartet has established its own cycle in the Vienna Konzerthaus. Works by Zbigniew Bargielski, Friedrich Cerha and Erich Urbanner were composed especially for this occasion. Many other new works have been dedicated to the Hugo Wolf Quartet and received their highly respected world premieres.

The name was granted the quartet by the International Hugo Wolf Society of Vienna. The late Romantic composer Hugo Wolf was situated between the great Viennese music tradition and its departure into the modern period; his name is thus used as a symbol for a performing repertoire that stretches from the Classical period to music far past the Second Viennes School.

The quartet's recording activity can be seen in numerous radio and television productions ( BBC, Radio Berlin, KBS, ORF) and commercial recordings. Compact

disc productions by the Hugo Wolf Quartet include works of Haydn, Schubert, Dvorak, Ravel and Ligeti and have appeared on the Gramola, Atlantis Art and Extraplatte labels. The recording of Beethoven´s op. 18/4 and op. 132 was praised by the press and awarded the ORF-Pasticcio Prize.

The Hugo Wolf Quartet was founded at the Vienna University for Music and the four young musicians laid the foundation for their international career through their studies with the Alban Berg Quartet and Walter Levin of the LaSalle-Quartet. In 1995 the quartet won the Fifth International String Quartet Competition in Cremona and made their debut in the Vienna Konzerthaus, which was celebrated by public and press alike. Further accolades include the prize for best string quartet at the 45th International G.B. Viotti Chamber Music Competition, the Special Prize of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and the European Cultural Award for Chamber Music, which awards "artistic talent and outstanding ensemble achievement."

In January 2005 the Hugo Wolf Quartett appointed Sebastian Gürtler as their new first violinist. Sebastian Gürtler is one of the founding members of the group "Amarcord Wien" and is the leader of the Volksoper Orchestra in Vienna. He is also a regular chamber musician and soloist, and has played with orchestras all over Europe including the Camerata Salzburg, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Dresden Philharmonic and the Vienna Chamber Orchestra

The Hugo Wolf Quartet performs on precious instruments: The violins from J. B. Guadagnini "ex Adolph Busch" (1783) and G. Cappa (provided by the Fazenda Ipiranga.1697), the viola by P. Mantegazza (1775), and the cello from N. Gagliano (1819) - are loan instruments generously provided by the Fazenda Ipiranga.

The Ipiranga Estate in Brazil produces its premium coffee "Blue de Brasil" without the use of any chemicals and purely organically.