May 3, 2026 3PM. Heliconian Hall, 35 Hazelton Avenue. Toronto
Quatuor Magenta
with guest Maxime Alberti, piano
Program:
Dinuk Wijeratne* (b. 1978): Two Pop Songs on Antique Poems, Grażyna Bacewicz (1909-1969): String Quartet No.5
Raphaël Merlin (b. 1982): La Jeune Fille, Johannes Brahms (1833-1897): Piano Quintet in F Minor, Op. 34
Quatuor Magenta
Ida Derbesse – violin; Elena Watson-Perry – violin
Claire Pass-Lanneau – viola; Fiona Robson – cello
“A model of technical discipline, elegance and musical excellence” (La Croix, transl.), the Quatuor Magenta was founded in 2021 and is already performing on France’s most prestigious stages, from the Philharmonie de Paris to the Festival de RadioFrance Montpellier. Their “remarkable balance, flexibility and spontaneity” (Diapason, transl.) not only thrills their audiences, but led them to the finals of the 8th Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in Vienna and earned them prizes at the 2023 FNAPEC competition (Académie des Beaux-Arts scholarship) and the 2022 Zukunftsklang Competition Stuttgart (3rd prize). November 2024 marked the quartet’s first international tour to Canada, generously supported by the Centre National de la Musique and SPEDIDAM. In 2025 they were selected for the prestigious Bordeaux and Banff International Quartet Competitions.
The Quatuor Magenta is based in Paris, France, where they are junior artist-in-residence at the Singer-Polignac Foundation and ensemble-in-residence at Proquartet – Centre Européen de Musique de Chambre. They have been invited to perform at numerous festivals in France, including the Musikfest Parisienne, the Festival de la Chaise-Dieu, Un Temps pour Elles, Un Été en France with Gautier Capuçon and the Modigliani Quartet’s Festival Vibre!, as well as in Switzerland (Festival de la Collégiale in Neuchâtel) and in Germany (Klangraum Konzerte in Cologne).
Last season, contemporary music had pride of place with Quatuor Magenta’s participation in the Kronos Quartet’s “50 for the Future” Marathon at the Philharmonie de Paris’s String Quartet Biennale. Their 2024/25 season included several octet performances alongside the renowned Quatuor Van Kuijk, in partnership with La Belle Saison.
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Maxime Alberti, piano
Originally from Lyon, Maxime Alberti continued his musical training at the Geneva University of Music in the class of Sylviane Deferne, where he earned a Master’s degree in solo performance with distinction. He then joined the École Normale Alfred Cortot in Paris to study with Rena Shereshevskaïa, and in 2020 received the unanimously awarded Diploma of Concert Performer. In 2022, he returned to Geneva to further develop his pedagogical approach with Cédric Pescia, obtaining a second Master’s degree dedicated to teaching. Curious, eclectic, and deeply committed to his artistic exploration, Maxime Alberti enriches his practice through encounters and travel. He has honed his skills under renowned pianists such as Dominique Merlet and Anne Quéffelec, and has received support from the Royaumont and Villecroze Foundations.
*Canadian Composer