Quartet Integra

Described as having “an enormous wealth of colors… and sparkling rhythms” (All News Press), Quartet Integra has rapidly gained international acclaim. The ensemble has received major prizes including Second Prize and the Audience Award at the 2022 ARD International Music Competition in Munich, First Prize at the 2021 Bartók World Competition in Budapest, and Third Prize along with the Sidney Griller Award at the 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London.

Formed in 2015 at the Toho Gakuen Music High School in Tokyo, Quartet Integra came together by four passionate teenage musicians and has ever since developed a deep and enduring musical bond, marked by a shared curiosity and devotion to the string quartet repertoire.

Now based in Hannover, Quartet Integra is expanding its presence across Europe, recent and upcoming engagements including the Heidelberger Frühling ‒ Streichquartettfest in Heidelberg, the Kammermusik in Wiesbaden concert series, and the Smetana Days Festival at the Plzeň Philharmonic in Pilsen, as well as performances at the Alte Oper Frankfurt and in Bad Tölz, Merano, and Budapest.

During their residency at the Colburn School in Los Angeles (2022‒2025), Quartet Integra appeared in leading series and festivals across the United States, including the Schneider Concert Series at The New School, the Green Shoots Initiative at the Kennedy Center, the Discovery Series at the La Jolla Music Society, the Artist Series at the University of Colorado Boulder, and the Nevada Chamber Music Festival.

Quartet Integra maintains close ties with its artistic roots in Japan, giving annual recitals at Toppan Hall in Tokyo presenting a Bartók-focused series, and at Oji Hall, having presented a Schubert and Webern series and anticipating to explore Mozart and Mendelssohn. In 2025, the ensemble launched a six-year Beethoven cycle at Dai-ichi Seimei Hall, Philia Hall, and several other major venues across Japan, marking as one of the most ambitious chamber music projects in the country today.

Quartet Integra has performed with artists such as Alexander Melnikov and Augustin Hadelich, and continues to refine its artistry through collaborations and mentorship in the international chamber-music community.

Contemporary music forms an important part of Quartet Integra’s artistic activity. In 2023, the ensemble performed both of György Ligeti’s string quartets in a concert at Toppan Hall marking the composer’s centenary, demonstrating their deep engagement with the 20th-century repertoire. They have also received guidance from the Arditti String Quartet, an experience that offered valuable insights into the performance practice of contemporary music. In addition, Quartet Integra has commissioned and premiered works by Japanese composers, engaging with new ideas and contributing fresh voices to the quartet literature.

Quartet Integra consists of first violinist Kyoka Misawa, second violinist Rintaro Kikuno, violist Itsuki Yamamoto, and cellist Ye Un Park. The quartet received its early training with Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki at the Toho Gakuen School of Music and as fellows at the Suntory Hall Chamber Music Academy. From 2022 to 2025, they served as Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, under the guidance of Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith. They are currently continuing their artistic development under Oliver Wille at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, and are also in residence at ProQuartet ‒ Centre Européen de Musique de Chambre for the 2025‒2027 seasons.

(October 2025)

Short bio

Described as having “an enormous wealth of colors… and sparkling rhythms” (All News Press), Quartet Integra has rapidly gained international recognition for its musical depth and clarity of sound. Prizewinners at the ARD International Music Competition in Munich (Second Prize and Audience Award, 2022) and the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London (Third Prize and the Sidney Griller Award, 2025), the ensemble brings a distinctive voice to the chamber-music scene today.

Currently based in Hannover, they are expanding their presence across Europe through appearances at the Heidelberger Frühling ‒ Streichquartettfest, Kammermusik in Wiesbaden, the Smetana Days Festival in Plzeň, and at the Alte Oper Frankfurt, as well as in Merano and Budapest.

Rooted in the great quartet tradition while open to new musical languages, Quartet Integra explores a wideranging repertoire from Haydn and Beethoven to Bartók, Ligeti, and composers of today, combining intellectual curiosity with emotional depth in its artistic identity.

Formed in 2015 at Toho Gakuen Music High School in Tokyo, Quartet Integra began when four teenage musicians came together sharing passion for chamber music, and has ever since developed a special, intimate chemistry. The ensemble received its early training with Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, later served as Chamber Ensemble-in- Residence at the Colburn School in Los Angeles, working with Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith, and now continues its artistic development under Oliver Wille at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover.

(October 2025)

Individual bios

Kyoka Misawa, violin
Japanese violinist Kyoka Misawa is a member of Quartet Integra, currently pursuing her Master’s Degree in Kammermusik at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with violinist Oliver Wille from the Kuss Quartet.
Kyoka is a prize winner of the Bartok World Competition (Hungary), Akiyoshidai Music Competition (Japan) as a string quartet, and the Czech Republic Music Competition (Japan) as a soloist. Recently, she won 2nd prize and Audience Award in the ARD International Competition (Munich) as a string quartet.
Kyoka has collaborated with artists including Tsuyoshi Tsutsumi, Kazuhide Isomura, Shigeo Neriki, Nobuko Yamazaki and the Jerusalem Quartet. She has also attended many music festivals such as Bad Leonfelden, Accademia Musicale Chigiana, Kirishima International festival, and Crans Montana Classics.
Previously, she received her Professional Studies Certificate at the Colburn Conservatory of Music as the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence, studying with Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith, and studied with Koichiro Harada at the Toho Gakuen School of Music.
She plays on a Alexander Gagliano (1728), specially loaned by Nippon Violin.

Rintaro Kikuno, violin
Japanese violinist Rintaro Kikuno is a member of Quartet Integra, pursuing his Master’s Degree in Kammermusik at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with violinist Oliver Wille from the Kuss Quartet.
Rintaro has won numerous competitions in Japan, and has also performed with the Symphony Orchestra.
He has previously completed his Artist Diploma as the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, studying with Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith. He also studied with Ms. Akiko Tatsumi at the Toho Gakuen University of Music, and graduated as the top of his class.
Rintaro currently performs on a Cesare Candi made in 1938.

Itsuki Yamamoto, viola
Beginning his musical journey on the violin at the age of five, Itsuki Yamamoto switched to viola at eighteen, inspired by his encounter with the string quartet. As the violist of Quartet Integra, he has won prizes at prestigious competitions including the ARD International Music Competition in Munich and the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition, and is deeply involved in the ensemble’s artistic direction and programming.
As a soloist, he regularly gives recitals exploring a wide range of repertoire, and several composers have written works for him ̶ notably Masahiro Ishijima, whose music has had a profound influence on his artistic outlook. He has also appeared as guest principal viola with the Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa. As a composer, his work When she talks for solo violin (2024) was premiered in Tokyo and Los Angeles.
He studied viola with Ryo Sasaki and chamber music with Kazuhide Isomura and Nobuko Yamazaki at the Toho Gakuen School of Music, and later continued his studies with Tatjana Masurenko, Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith at The Colburn School in Los Angeles. Currently based in Hannover, he continues his artistic development at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover, studying chamber music with Oliver Wille.
In addition to his performance activities, he has started to give string quartet masterclasses in Japan, sharing his musical ideas and experience in chamber music.

Ye Un Park, cello
Born in 2003, South Korean cellist Ye Un Park is a member of Quartet Integra. She is pursuing her Master’s Degree in Kammermusik at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with violinist Oliver Wille from the Kuss Quartet.
Previously, she received her Bachelor of Music along with the Chamber Ensemble-in-Residence program at the Colburn Conservatory of Music, under the guidance of Martin Beaver, Jonathan Brown, and Clive Greensmith. Ye Un has also attended the Colburn Music Academy and Yewon Arts School, where she studied with Ji Hyun Oh.
As an active chamber musician, Ye Un has collaborated with world-renowned artists including Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Orion Weiss, Ray Chen, Clive Greensmith, Nobuko Yamazaki, Jennifer Grim, Andy Akiho, and the Dover Quartet. She was also a founding member of Trio Azura which received the “Rotary Club Siena” prize at the 2023 Accademia Musicale Chigiana.
As a soloist, she made her debut through the Kumho Young Prodigy Series at the age of 12. Ye Un won many major competitions in South Korea, and also began to emerge in international competitions, such as the 2023 Paulo Competition and the 2022 Queen Elisabeth Competition, where she was the youngest candidate.

（September 2025）