The Marmen Quartet, acclaimed as a top-tier ensemble, achieved first place at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition and shared the prestigious first prize at the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition in Banff, Canada.

The quartet consists of four talented musicians: Sinéad O'Halloran, Bryony Gibson-Cornish, Laia Valentin Braun, and Johannes Marmen. They served as the 2022 Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at the Meadows School of the Arts, Southern Methodist University, in collaboration with the Banff International String Quartet Competition.

In 2017, the Banff International String Quartet Festival was introduced during non-competition years, featuring past competition winners and guest artists. The festival, directed by Barry Shiffman, the head of the Banff International String Quartet Competition, spans three days and showcases the remarkable talents of today's classical music performers.

The 2023 festival's live concerts have recently concluded, and to celebrate the exceptional programming, The Violin Channel will be live-streaming three of the festival's performances.

On September 21, the VC Artist Viano Quartet will present a program featuring compositions by Beethoven, Lau, and Smetena. On September 28, world-renowned artists will perform a repertoire consisting of works by Vaughan Williams, Haydn, Carmen Braden, and Paul Nero. Finally, on October 5, another group of performers will take the stage to play pieces by Beethoven, de Falla, Sarasate, Brahms, and Mendelssohn.