Rastrelli Cello Quartet

A singularly unique ensemble, the Rastrelli Cello Quartet has been thrilling audiences with their renderings of non-traditional programming since 2002. Kira Kraftzoff - founder and artistic director, Kirill Timofeev, Misha Degtjareff and Sergio Drabkin formed the ensemble with a mission to perform music "between the genres," and their widely varied programs mix comfortably works by Bach, Saint-Saens and Tchaikovsky with that of George Gershwin, Dave Brubeck and Leroy Anderson. The name of the Quartet is taken from the eighteenth-century architect Bartholomew Rastrelli, who designed the Hermitage in St. Petersburg, the home city of three of the four Quartet members. The Rastrelli Quartet currently has five recordings (Rastrelli, Volumes 1-5) on the Solo Musica, TonArt and Manchester labels, as well as a 2008 release with music by Piazzolla entitled "Cello in Buenos-Aires." In 2009, the Rastrelli Quartet's CD "Cello in Classic" was nominated for a Russian Grammy and was given a second prize award.