In loving memory of Richie Beirach (May 23, 1947-Jan 26, 2026). Once coined “The Code”, he was one of our latest collaborators as a group, and a long time friend, mentor, collaborator of Gregor’s. We are immensely grateful for the opportunity to have played with him a few times, both in Germany and here in the States. Throughout our trips, he shared a lot of his wisdom about music (accompanied by anecdotes and jokes) and we were merely scratching the surface of his depth. Our deepest condolences to his loved ones, may his memory be a blessing.
Richie Beirach 23.05.1947 - 26.01.2026
This is such a profound and emotional moment for me, saying goodbye to Richie. For thirty years, we shared the stage and the studio—he was my mentor, my musical brother, my college, and my dearest friend. From the very first note we played together, it felt as though we had known each other for a lifetime, and that magic never faded.
We traveled the world, weathered tough times, but all of it melted away the moment Richie sat at the piano and began to play. He called me his son, his brother, his father—and in so many ways, I felt all of those roles too. But never, not for a single moment, did I regret the time we spent together: making music, talking about composition, and celebrating life, especially on our shared birthday, May 23rd—1947 and 1967.
Richie was also an extraordinary teacher. I learned how to teach from him, side by side in countless workshops, and I will always be grateful for that gift.
Together with George Mraz, we formed the Trio: Beirach Huebner Mraz. With Randy Brecker and Billy Hart, we played for years at Birdland in New York—those nights were always the highlights of my year. With my brother Veit and Michael Kersting, Richie led his European Quartet. And, of course, as a duo, we performed everywhere.
This photo is from over a year ago, our last time playing together in Mannheim, as part of Sidney Corbet’s New Music series. Richie was still going strong then. His dream was to record with the Sirius Quartet. I’m so sorry, Richie—we’ll have to do that in the next life. You always said, “Don’t think you have to finish your compositional thought today, because if you don’t, you’ll have something to pick up from, the next day.” So we’ll pick up on this in the next life, my friend. Safe journey, and say hello to George for me. I am thankful I could say goodbye to you yesterday, will miss you deeply, my brother.
Love, Gregor
What a beautiful night of music! Huge thanks to our new friend Y? for jumping in and vibe! Forever grateful that Barbès allows us to make it our cozy little home. 😊 (Photo by @christynsv )
Kicking off our 2026 with this performance at Barbès! Always very exciting to play in this intimate venue, where we can really connect with the audience. We hope to see you there, and please come say hey if you’re attending.
“...vibrant, vivid, wonderful,” INCANTATIONS from @siriusquartet and #NavonaRecords is a @gramophonemagazine Critics’ Choice album for 2025! See their full list of favorite #classicalmusic recordings from the past year at gramophone.co.uk
This is most exciting! Huge thanks to Guy Rickards of the Gramophone Magazine for selecting “Incantations” as his album of the year! Being an oddball of a quartet that focuses only on our original music, we’re always grateful to know there are people out there who get us.
“Eight original works (two apiece) by the members of the spirited, superlative Sirius Quartet — with a meditative arrangement as coda — make up their vibrant, vivid, wonderful album ‘Incantations’.”
Weiträumige Bespielung des Kirchenraums mit zwei sehr unterschiedlichen Quartetten: @siriusquartet und @tetra.brass .
Das Ergebnis: eine weiterer @westend_vibes_munich -Abend mit ganz besonderer Atmosphäre!
Danke an alle, die mitgewirkt haben.
Fotos: @sonderwaldgila
Our Germany tour came to an end, this also marks the last of our performance activities this year. As a gesture to thank everyone, we have prepared this video in full Swabian dialect. Don’t understand it? Don’t worry! Most German speakers wouldn’t understand this dialect anyway… Just feel it…
