Damask Vocal Quartet

Katharine Dain [soprano], Marine Fribourg [mezzo], Davy Cornillot [tenor], Eric Ander [baritone]

Since its creation in 2014, Damask has given voice to the stunning but neglected repertoire for vocal quartet, from the piano-accompanied chamber works of Schubert, Schumann, Brahms and Haydn to music of the 20th and 21st centuries (a cappella and with various instruments) by Milhaud, Messiaen, Stravinsky, Schönberg, Ned Rorem, and David Lang, among others.

Damask has regularly commissionned and premiered new works by composers Gregory Spears, Reiko Füting, Lewis Nielson and Federico Mosquera, as well as arrangements of existing pieces by Matthijs van de Woerd and Raphael Fusco. It is essential for Damask to participate in the enrichment of the repertoire written for the beauty, unity and versatility of the quartet’s unique sound.

In late 2018 Damask released their first full album, titled “O schöne Nacht”, featuring luscious 19th-century quartets of Brahms, Herzogenberg, and Jenner and piano pieces by Kirchner, recorded with French pianist Flore Merlin on a Streicher instrument original to the period. It features the quartet’s historic line-up: American-Dutch soprano Katharine Dain, French mezzo-soprano Marine Fribourg, English tenor Guy Cutting, and Canadian baritone Drew Santini. The recording was a collaboration with award-winning producer Frerik de Jong of 7 Mountain Records and has been widely praised: “a perfectly executed, imaginative recital … which certainly leaves us wanting (much) more” (OpusKlassiek); “a remarkable fusion of timbres and palpable collaborative energy” (ON Magazine). Their second album, “Canto”, released in 2021, was recorded in collaboration with Oerknal Ensemble and it features works by American contemporary composer Lewis Nielson.

The members of Damask are also passionate about teaching, and are keen to pass on their passion for vocal chamber music. They have given masterclasses for one-per-voice ensembles at the Koorbiënnale in Haarlem in 2017 and 2019, and at the Conservatoire de Reims in 2023.

After a difficult period due to the pandemic, which suspended many projects – including a debut at London’s Wigmore Hall scheduled for 2021, the ensemble took off again in 2023 under the artistic direction of Marine Fribourg, the quartet’s mezzo since its foundation. Her interest in the quartet repertoire remains intact, but the ensemble’s geometry is open to other artistic forms and collaborations.

The group’s name “Damask” refers to a luxurious woven textile motif developed in 14th-century Damascus (present-day Syria), a vibrant meeting point of several major international trade routes where materials, ideas, cultures, and art/design practices were freely exchanged. The resulting damask motif, still in use today, is a fitting metaphor for the ensemble, which weaves together different repertoires, cultural traditions, and musical personalities into a strong and beautiful whole.