An exclusive contract with Deutsche Grammophon firmly established the Quartet as one of the world’s leading chamber music ensembles, and it has since released more than 30 landmark recordings on DG, BMG/RCA Victor Red Seal, Angel-EMI, CBS Masterworks and Vox Cum Laude. The Quartet’s recordings have earned such honors as the Grand Prix du Disque and Montreux, “Best Chamber Music Recording of the Year” awards from Stereo Review and Gramophone magazines, as well as seven Grammy^® nominations. The Quartet is currently involved in a multi-record project of the complete Beethoven String Quartets for the Harmonia Mundi label. The Tokyo String Quartet performs on "The Paganini Quartet," a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolò Paganini, who acquired and played them during the 19th century. The instruments have been loaned to the ensemble by the Nippon Music Foundation since 1995, when they were purchased from the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington. Officially formed in 1969 at The Juilliard School of Music, the Tokyo String Quartet traces its origins to the Toho School of Music in Tokyo, where the founding members were profoundly influenced by Professor Hideo Saito. Instilled with a deep commitment to chamber music, the original members of what would become the Tokyo String Quartet eventually came to America for further study with Robert Mann, Raphael Hillyer and Claus Adam. Soon after its creation, the Quartet won First Prize at the Coleman and Munich Competitions and the Young Concert Artists International Auditions.