The name Minetti derives from a play by dramatist Thomas Bernhard who lived in Ohlsdorf, Austria in the Salzkammergut Region, where also the two violinists of the quartet grew up.
Since being nominated for the “Rising Stars” Award by the European Concert Hall Organization in 2008/09, the Minetti Quartett, comprising of Austrian Musicians living in Vienna, has performed in the renowned venues in Vienna, Berlin, Cologne, Amsterdam, Barcelona, Stockholm, Brussels, London. Invitations to chamber music festivals have taken the Minetti Quartett to North, Central and South America, Australia, Japan and China. Many of their concerts have been recorded and broadcast by international radio stations.
Chamber music partners have included, Fazil Say, Till Fellner, Alois Posch, Martin Froest, Paul Meyer, Joerg Widmann, Sharon Kam, Istvan Vardai, Camille Thomas, Andreas Klein, the Mandelring Quartett and with soloists of the Vienna and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestras. As orchestra soloists the quartet has performed with the Bruckner Orchestra of Linz and with the Radio Symphony Orchestra of Vienna.
The Minetti Quartett is a winner of many international chamber music competitions such as the Schubert and Haydn Competitions and was awarded Austria’s Grosser Gradus ad Parnassum Prize, a start-up grant of the Austrian federal ministry and the Karajan Grant.
Johannes Meissl and the musicians of the Alban Berg Quartett were the Minetti Quartett’s teachers at the Music University in Vienna. They also gained crucial artistic input from Ferenc Rados, Alfred Brendel and members of the Artemis Quartett, Amadeus Quartet and the Hagen Quartett by participating at European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) courses.
Since 2009 Haenssler Classic has released four highly acclaimed CD recordings (Haydn, Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Schubert) by the ensemble, while Avi Music has released the Clarinet Quintets The quartet has undertaken teaching projects in Finland, Mexico, Spain, Sweden and at American and Austrian universities (Mozarteum Salzburg, Music University of Graz).
The Austrian National Bank has placed two violins by G. B. Guadagnini (Mantegazza of 1774 and ex Meinel of 1770-1775) and a cello by G. Tononi (Bologna, 1681) on loan to the quartet.