Ingrid Nicola

Ingrid Nicola is the violinist/founding member of ConTempo quartet,a celebrated string quartet that has become RTE's quartet in residence (Ireland's National Television and Radio Broadcaster) in 2014 and is Galway's Ensemble in Residence since 2003.

Ingrid is a chamber music visiting teacher at the Royal Academy of Music/Dublin, and has been holding lectures/workshops at the Royal Academy of Music in London (1999-2002) ,Gedai University of Music Tokyo/Japan , DIT and Cork School of Music.

On the 10th of June 2016, Ingrid was awarded a Degree of Doctor of Music (honoris causa) by the National University of Ireland (NUIG).
Ingrid graduated The University of Music in Bucharest where she studied with Daniel Podlovschi and Ladislau Csendes.She continued her studies at various residencies at the Banff Centre for the Arts in Canada, Royal Academy of Music in London, Accademia Chigiana in Siena, European Academy of Music in Aix-en Province, Britten - Pierce School for Advanced Music Studies in Aldeburgh and Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid with Rainer Schmidt, Siegmund Nissel, Norbert Brainin, Gunter Pichler, Philip Setzer, Stephanie Gonley, Heime Muller, Christoph Poppen, Howard Davis and Hugh Maguire.
Ingrid received her Masters of Arts in Music with First Class Honours at Cork School of Music, in 2005.
In 2015 Ingrid has also been awarded a Diploma in Child Psychology(O.A.DIP).
Ingrid has studied with some of the most celebrated string quartets of the world, such as Amadeus, Alban Berg , Tokyo, Emerson and Hagen quartets ,and with musicians as Diemut Poppen, Petra Mullejans, Piero Farulli, David Takeno, Laurence Lesser, Gilbert Kalish.
Ingrid has won 14 International Prizes in Chamber Music Competitions-1st Prize at GrosserForderpreise Competition in Munich-Germany,1st Prize at Valentino Bucchi competition in Rome-Italy, 1st Prize at Tunnel Trust Competition in London-UK, 1st Prize at Mozart competition in Cluj-Romania, 2nd Prize at Johannes Brahms International Competition in Hamburg-Germany, Audience Prize and 3rd Prize at London String Quartet Competition in UK, 3rd Prize at Schubert und die Musik der Moderne Competition in Graz-Austria, 3rd Prize at Max Reger Competition in Weimar-Germany, The Wigmore Award and The Romanian Musical Critics Union Prize in Bucharest.