The the world-renowned St. Petersburg Quartet bring their "flawless" ensemble skills to Mendelssohn’s earliest string quartet - the Quartet in A minor, op.13 - and Dvorak’s deservedly well-known 'American' quartet with their unique style of performance. One of the world’s leading string quartets, the St. Petersburg String Quartet was founded as the Leningrad Quartet by Alla Aranovskaya, Alla Krolevich (Goryainova) and Leonid Shukayev, all three through international chamber music competitions, winning First Prize at the All-Soviet Union String Quartet Competition, the Silver Medal and a Special Prize at the Tokyo International Competition of Chamber Ensembles, First Prize and both Special Prizes at the Vittorio Gui International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Florence, Italy, and First Prize and the “Grand Prix Musica Viva” at the International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Melbourne, Australia. When the city of Leningrad resumed it historic name, the quartet likewise changed its name to the St. Petersburg String Quartet. The SPSQ has continued its ascendancy, building a reputation of worldwide proportions including a Grammy nomination, “Best Record” honours in both Stereo Review and Gramophone Magazines, and the Chamber Music America/WQXR Prize for Best CD of 2001. The Quartet held the respected position of Quartet-in-Residence at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music from 1999 to 2003.
