Quartet Kairi
(JP/CN)

The Quartet KAIRI is a Salzburg-based string quartet currently studying under Professor Rainer Schmidt (Hagen Quartett) and Professor Cibrán Sierra Vázquez (Cuarteto Quiroga) at the Universität Mozarteum Salzburg. They began working as an ensemble during their studies at the Tokyo College of Music under the guidance of professor Saiko Azuma.

In winter 2023, Chinese violist Jiliang Shi joined the quartet’s founding members : Taiga Sasaki, Yu Mita and Hotaka Sakai.

January 2024, the Quartet KAIRI were invited to collaborate with the Salzburg Marionette Theatre during the “Mozartwoche” Music Festival. Additionally they were also part of the Fuji Mountain Music Festival, during which they performed with a renowned clarinettist Peter Schmidl (Former Principal Clarinetist of the Vienna Philharmoniker).

In Fall 2024, the Quartet KAIRI won first prize at the International Competition “Premio Annarosa Taddei“ in Rome. They also received second prize (first prize not awarded) at the Japan Classical Music Competition in Tokyo.

They have participated in numerous masterclasses by renowned artists such as Günter Pichler during the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival and Jonathan Brown at the Guadix International String Quartet Seminar.

The word “Kairi" (Japanese) can be translated as a sea mile. The name of the quartet represents the strong will to cross human and musical boundaries of the sea and land in order to make music accessible to everyone despite of one’s background. They strongly believe in the universality of the musical language that can be “spoken” and understood by each and every one of us.

Motus Quartet
(NL/HR/US/HU)

The Motus Quartet was founded in October 2022 and consists of Tim de Vries, Karla Križ, Erin Pitts and Domonkos Hartmann. They met during their studies in Vienna, where the quartet currently studies with Johannes Meissl at the University for Music and Performing Arts Vienna (mdw). Further musical impulses have come from Hatto Beyerle, Eckart Runge, the Jerusalem Quartet, the Danish String Quartet, Tim Fredriksen, Minna Pensola, Peter Schuhmayer, Patrick Jüdt, Bjørg Lewis and Avedis Kouyoumdjian, among others.

The quartet is also privileged to have worked with composer György Kurtág on various pieces including his own composition „12 Microludes for string quartet, Op. 13”.

Most recently, the quartet has been awarded the first prize and the special prize for the best interpretation of an early classical work at the 10th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition. Further more, the ensemble was awarded two prizes at the International Summer Academy of the mdw (isa): the Artis Quartet Award and the Viennese Classicism Award.

The Motus Quartet regularly takes part in ECMA (European Chamber Music Academy) and Musethica sessions all over Europe. The Motus Quartet has given debut concerts at the Konzerthaus Vienna, the Musikverein Vienna and the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, with their Wigmore Hall debut scheduled for January 2026. Recent concert engagements brought the ensemble to most of Europe, Asia, Africa and North America.

Tim de Vries performs on a violin made by Lorenzo Storioni (Cremona, 1793). Karla Križ plays on a composite Andrea Guarneri violin (Cremona, C17th). Domonkos Hartmann plays on a cello made by Raffaele and Antonio Gagliano (Napels, 1850).

Hesper Quartet
(US/KR)

The Hesper Quartet, a Korean-American string quartet based in New York City, takes its name from Hesperus, the “evening star” and Greek mythological personification of Venus in the early night sky, capturing our roles as leaders and storytellers.

In 2024, the Hesper Quartet swept silver medals at the Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Lyon International String Quartet Competition, and the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition. They were also awarded the “Special Prize of Encouragement” by the Artsylvia Foundation in South Korea. In 2023, the Hespers were awarded first prize at the Fanny Mendelssohn International Competition, the Servaas International Music Competition, and were selected for the Lauren V . Ackerman Prize at Stony Brook University.

Summer festival appearances include the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival in both 2023 and 2024, the McGill International String Quartet Academy, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Seminar. They have performed at a variety of venues including Stanford University’s Bing Concert Hall, Capitol Theatre Windsor, Staller Center for the Arts, Temple Beth El, and the JeJu Cultural Arts Center in South Korea and have have had the pleasure of collaborating with renowned artists such as Chiho Han, Lawrence Dutton, Hsin–Yun Huang, Peter Wiley, and Shai Wosner.

The Hesper Quartet was formed in 2023 at Stony Brook University’s Emerson String Quartet Institute. Its current members, violinists Valerie Kim and Yejin Yoon, violist Sohui Yun, and cellist Connor Kim, hold degrees from the Curtis Institute of Music, The Juilliard School, and Yale University.

Modulor Quartet
(DE/CH/ES/MY)

Founded in 2019, the Modulor Quartet has performed at the Davos Festival, the St. Galler Festspiele, the Swiss Chamber Music Festival, the quatres saisons festival Lausanne, the Rottweil Sommersprossen Musikfestival, at Kammermusik Luzern and the Braunwald Chamber Music Week. The young musicians (Gregor Hänssler and Beatrice Harmon, violins, Lucía Mullor, viola, Nigel Thean, cello) are coached by Rainer Schmidt and Anna Gebert at the Basel

Academy of Music and have attended masterclasses with Eberhard Feltz, Robert Levin and Florian Donderer. In addition to classical repertoire, the Modulor Quartet is dedicated to contemporary music and interdisciplinary projects with dance and architecture. The quartet's name pays respect to Swiss architect Le Corbusier's theory of architectural proportions – the golden ratio. In 2021 the quartet won a 2nd prize at the Orpheus Chamber Music Competition in Fribourg, the 1st prize at the 2022 Kiwanis Competition in Zurich and in 2023 was awarded the main prize of the Lucerne-based Marianne and Curt Dienemann Foundation. The Modulor Quartet was nominated for the Prix Credit Suisse Jeunes Solistes 2023 and qualified for the 2021 International Bartók Competition in Budapest, the 2023 International Musicians Seminar in Prussia Cove (UK), the 2023 Carl Nielsen Chamber Music Competition (DK) as well as the 77th Concours de Genève 2023. The Modulor Quartet has recently joined the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) and the international chamber music platform MERITA.

Quartet Amistella
(JP)

Quartett Amistella, based in Munich, consists of four promising musicians from Japan:
Yukino Nakamura, Kaho Takemoto, Kairi Fuse and Kokoro Ryu.

Founded in November of 2024, they are relatively fresh, but have already showed great potential by winning a place in the Live Music Now München scholarships with their fascinating interpretations and compelling sound, unanimously selected by the jury. They have captivated many audiences through concerts in Munich, and earned approvals from Chamber music professors in the University of Music and Theater such as Raphael Merlin, Dirk Mommerz, and Silke Avenhaus. They have also been invited to Musique à Flaine Summer Academy with full scholarship, and to perform at the Chamberfest HMTM. They are right now studying with Prof. Raphael Merlin at the University of Music and Theater Munich (HMTM), and are planning to study at the Chamber Music Academy with Quartor Ébène.

Quartetto Pegreffi
(IT/RO)

Formed in 2023, Quartetto Pegreffi is one of the most promising young groups on the Italian Chamber Music scene. With its name it has the honor of paying tribute to violinist Elisa Pegreffi, second violinist of the Quartetto Italiano, and its goal is to preserve and represent the modern Italian String Quartet tradition.

It is the winner of the Amici della Musica di Verona Prize 2024 and in 2023 it is selected to be part of the class of Cuarteto Casals and M° Heime Müller at the Scuola di Musica di Fiesole, receiving the “Ciampi” scholarship for the best Chamber Music group. Still in Fiesole it is chosen by M° Alexander Lonquich to participate in the 2024 session of the ECMA.

The Quartet achieved a second level Master's degree in Chamber Music with highest marks, honours and honorable mention under the guidance of the Trio di Parma and M° Pierpaolo Maurizzi at the Conservatorio 'Arrigo Boito' in Parma. They are currently attending the “Ébène Quartet Academy” with the Quatuor Ébène and Raphaël Merlin at the Hochschule für Musik und Theatre München, as well as the Chamber Music course at the Musikhochschule Lübeck with Heime Müller and the Accademia Stauffer di Cremona with the Quartetto di Cremona.

Their commitment to in-depth stylistic research led them to participate in a seminar focusing on the classical repertoire held by M° Lorenzo Coppola at the Escuela Superior de Música de Catalunya and to play for musicologist Clive Brown, with whom they explored Johannes Brahms’ String Quartet Op. 51 No. 2.

The ensemble performs frequently for important Italian music associations such as Festival delle Nazioni, Società del Quartetto di Milano, Associazione Musicale Etnea, Società dei Concerti di Parma, SilenzioMusica Festival, Pinè Musica.

Since December 2023 they are part of Le Dimore del Quartetto, through which they have performed in the concert series promoted by the Comitato Amur “Musica con Vista.” They are also a member of the music association “Music con le Ali,” which promotes the most outstanding Italian emerging chamber groups.

Next appointments for the Quartet are concert for the Brahms Festival in Lübeck, Amici del Quartetto Guido A. Borciani and other institutions in Italy and Europe.

Quartetto Pegreffi has attended master classes with Günter Pichler, Raphaël Merlin, Vera Martínez Mahner, Kyril Zlotnikov, Patrick Jüdt, Xandi van Dijk, Pavel Nikl, Andrea Lucchesini, and Andrea Nannoni.

Absalon String Quartet
(DK/SE/NO)

Absalon String Quartet is a young Nordic ensemble with members from Denmark, Sweden and Norway, based in Copenhagen. After their beginning in the Corona lockdown of 2020, the quartet quickly gained recognition in Denmark by winning the first edition of the Rued Langgaard competition 2021. In 2023 they reached their next milestone by winning the prestigious Danish Radio Chamber Music Competition, where they also became an audience favourite and established themselves as one of the country’s most promising young chamber music groups with their warm sound and their intense and courageous musical expression. Since then, they’ve given many concerts in a large part of Denmark’s concert halls, collaborated with some of the country’s finest musicians, and taken part in several international competitions.

ASQ is currently enrolled in a 2-year chamber music master program at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf with prof. Eckart Runge (Artemis Quartett). They also receive regular coaching from prof. Tim Frederiksen at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Additionally, the quartet have participated in many masterclasses across Europe, with organisations such as ECMA and ProQuartet - among others they’ve enjoyed lessons from Eberhard Feltz, Johannes Meissl, Hélène Clement (Doric String Quartet), Eugene Drucker (Emerson Quartet), David Harrington (Kronos Quartet) and all members of the Danish String Quartet, as well as with renowned composers Missy Mazzoli and Jessie Montgomery.

Absalon String Quartet consists of violinists Thera Ortved and Andreas Larsen, Alva Rasmussen on viola and Hedda Aadland on cello.

Quartetto Goldberg
(CN/IT)

Quartetto Goldberg is winner of the 42nd Abbiati Award of the Italian Critics “Piero Farulli – best young ensemble”, special prize “Una Vita nella Musica Giovani 2024” of Teatro La Fenice and first prize at Filippo Nicosia Chamber Music Award 2023. The quartet features four outstanding young musicians from Italy and China, who also distinguished themselves in various solo competitions, as stands out first violinist Jingzhi Zhang winning second prize and public prize at Paganini Competition 2023.

Recently, they became an Artist in Residence at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Bruxelles, joining Miguel da Silva and Corinna Belcea’s class and a Resident Ensemble at the Escuela Superior de Musica Reina Sofia in Madrid under the guide of Günter Pichler.

During the 2024/25 season, the Goldbergs will performing at MITO Settembre Musica, Festival di Trieste “Il faro della musica”, I concerti del Quirinale di Roma, Società Aquilana dei concerti Barattelli, Barco Teatro di Padova, collaborating with artists such as Alessandro Carbonare, Kyril Zlotnikov and Simone Gramaglia. They will also have their first appear in Asia, in Japan and China.

In the 2023/2024 season, together with the debut in Sala Verdi for Fondazione Società dei Concerti di Milano, they appeared at Vibre! Festival of Bordeaux, Trame Sonore festival of Mantova, Società Umanitaria di Milano, Capraia festival, Associazione Musicale Appassionata, Società del Quartetto of Vicenza, Società dei Concerti of Trieste, Società Filarmonica di Trento, Crans-Montana classic, Jeunesses Musicales and Schleswig-Holstein Musik festival.

The Goldberg was "Artist in Residence" of Fondazione Società dei Concerti di Milano 2022/2023 and Ticino Festival 2022. They took part at Nuit du Quatuor 2022 in Paris, Verão Classico and Musique a Flaine. With Italian Institutes of Culture and Italian Embassies, they had concerts in Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Finland.

By the end of 2024, Goldbergs will record two new CD albums. The first one is sponsored by Filo di Note music label and it will include string quartets by Mozart and Ravel. The second one, a monographic to Brahms string quartets n. 1 op. 51 and n. 3 op. 67, is offered by Da Vinci Publishing. They was regularly hosted by radio programmers on Rai 3 and RSI. The group is part of MERITA platform and Le Dimore del Quartetto, of which it is Ensemble of the Year 2022.

Quartetto Goldberg was born in 2021, studying at the Stauffer Academy with Quartetto di Cremona. Their name is a tribute to J. S. Bach's Variations, a piece that deeply binds the four members and expresses the key ideals of their music-making: refinement, simplicity and communicativeness.

Monbijou Quartet
(SE)

The Monbijou Quartet has quickly gained a reputation as one of Scandinavia's most promising young quartets since they formed in the autumn of 2022. Soon after their first performances they won the Swedish Chamber Music Competition (Ung & Lovande) 2023. That same year they were finalists in the Szymanowski International Music Competition and won a prize for best performance of a contemporary piece. In the autumn 2024 they had a tour of Sweden, giving over 30 concerts spanning the whole country.

The Monbijou Quartet has participated in masterclasses with Cuerteto Quiroga, Jerusalem Quartet, Johannes Marmén from the Marmen Quartet and members from the Danish String Quartet. At the moment they are studying the string quartet diploma program in the Royal Danish Academy of Music with prof. Tim Frederiksen.

Erinys Quartet
(US/EE/FI/GR)

Named for the Erinyes (a.k.a. the Furies) from the Greek tragedy Oresteia by Aeschylus, and with roots in Estonia, Lithuania, Greece, the United States and Finland, the Erinys Quartet was founded in 2018 at the Sibelius Academy in Helsinki where they worked closely with cellist Marko Ylönen. Since Autumn 2023 Erinys has been the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, PA (USA).

At the Bad Tölz International String Quartet Competition in 2023 they were awarded the Audience Prize Award of the City of Bad Tölz, as well as the Esterházy Foundation Special Prize for best interpretation of a Haydn string quartet. They were also awarded the Bronze Medal Prize at the 2024 Fischoff Competition.

In the 2025 season the Erinys Quartet will present concerts throughout the United States and Europe, including debuts at the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society and the Lucerne Festival in Switzerland. They will also be giving concerts around the United States as part of Curtis on Tour collaborating with pianist Michelle Cann, violist Roberto Díaz, and cellist Peter Wiley.

Since 2021 Erinys Quartet has been supported by Le Dimore del Quartetto where they are also a part of the European Union-sponsored MERITA platform.

In addition to their studies at Curtis with the Dover Quartet, Erinys is pursuing a diploma in chamber music at Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain under the tutelage of Professor Günter Pichler of the Alban Berg Quartet.