Leonkoro Quartet

Jonathan Schwarz – violin
Emiri Kakiuchi – violin
Mayu Konoe – viola
Lukas Schwarz – cello

The ensemble is framed by the brothers Jonathan and Lukas Schwarz on first violin and cello, while Emiri Kakiuchi on second violin and Mayu Konoe on viola form the middle voices. Leonkoro — from the Esperanto for “lionheart” — is not by chance an allusion to Astrid Lindgren’s children’s book about two brothers, a book that meets the grave fact of death with a warm measure of comfort — a connection to which the string quartet repertoire, too, devotes itself in many works.

Since 2022, the Leonkoro Quartet has received numerous prestigious awards and accolades, consolidating its position as one of the most sought-after ensembles of its generation. The quartet was awarded the distinguished Jürgen Ponto Foundation Music Prize and won First Prize as well as nine special prizes at the international competition held at London’s Wigmore Hall, including awards for interpretation, residencies and concerts. In addition, the ensemble has won an impressive number of other prizes and received international acclaim.

The quartet’s debut album, featuring Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet and Robert Schumann’s String Quartet op. 41 no. 3, was released on Mirare in autumn 2023 and, just weeks later, was awarded the Choc de Classica de l’année 2023. The quartet has been signed to the renowned label Alpha Classics since spring 2024. In January 2026, the album Out of Vienna, featuring works by Alban Berg, Anton Webernand Erwin Schulhoff, was released on the label.

Photo: Co Merz