The Quarteto de Brasília, a string quartet of classical formation that also interprets popular music, has an emphasis in Brazilian music. It was commissioned by UNESCO to present the string quartet "Ainsi la Nuit" (Henri Dutilleux) at the Brazilian premiere. The quartet has been performing in Brazil and also abroad, where it played in Paris, Toulouse, and Montpelier (France); Gütersloch and Heidelberg (Germany); Baltimore and Washington D.C. (U.S., in the Partners of America project and in the opening of the Music Mountain Festival); Argentina (Salón Dorado of the Teatro Colón -- Buenos Aires and Cordoba), Uruguay, and Paraguay, sponsored by the Brazilian department of foreign affairs; Asia (Japan, China and Malaysia); and Quito (Ecuador). The quartet won the VII Sharp Awards in the classical category with its first release, Quarteto de Brasília (1993), and was also awarded with the Prêmio Ok de Cultura. In 1994, the group launched Clássicos da Música Popular Brasileira interpreting Tom Jobim, Gonzaguinha, Pixinguinha, and other popular Brazilian composers. ~ Alvaro Neder