Describing the experience as an endurance exercise, the TINALLEY STRING QUARTET persevered at the Banff International String Quartet Competition to take the title back to Melbourne, Australia. "Having to play every day in the space of six days under such pressure taught us many things about each other and ourselves!" notes 28-year-old TASQ violinist LERIDA DELBRIDGE.

Delbridge and her partners—violinist KRISTIAN WINTHER, 22, violist JUSTIN WILLIAMS, 26, and cellist MICHELLE WOOD, 26—win $20,000 (Canadian), a quartet of bows from Canadian maker François Malo, a European and North American concert tour, and the offer of a residency at the Banff Centre, which includes a CD recording at Banff.

"We were thrilled just to be a part of BISQC and we were not expecting anything from the competition other than the experience," Delbridge adds.

An experience such as Banff can prove very lucrative for a quartet of 20-somethings from a remote location. "We are so far away from the rest of the world and, even though we have a vibrant artistic culture, it is extremely difficult to break into the international cultural scene when you are down under! This win will greatly aid in our professional development and we are fortunate that the Banff Centre is so passionate about chamber music and assisting youth ensembles," Delbridge notes.

Other recognized ensembles include the ZEMLINSKY, ARIEL, and TOKAI quartets, which took second, third, and fourth places, respectively.

—Rory Williams

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