The Danish String Quartet as Quartet-in-Residence

The Royal Danish Academy of Music has appointed The Danish String Quartet as quartet-in-residence for a period of 5 years.

The string quartet is considered one of the world's leading chamber ensembles and has received a great number of prizes and marks of honour. In 2012, the quartet was awarded the prestigious Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center Two program from 2013-16 and later appointed BBC New Generation Artists in the years 2013-15. In Denmark, the quartet was appointed Danish Radio artists as early as 2006 and then followed by the praised recordings of the collected string quartets by Carl Nielsen . In 2011, the quartet received the Carl Nielsen prize that is the most prestigious artist prize awarded in Denmark.

The Quartet is expected to hold master classes at the academy and occasionally take part in concert events such as debut concerts and also in special themed concerts etc.

The first performance by The Danish String Quartet as quartet-in-residence will be this Sunday 4th of October 2015, when the composer and pianist Thomas Adès visits the academy in connection with his receiving of the Leonié Sonning's Music Prize. Thomas Adès and The Danish String Quartet will play Adès' Piano Quintet and Arcadiana as well as Danish composer and RDAM Associate Professor Hans Abrahamsen's 10 Preludes.

RDAM President Bertel Krarup states that it is both with joy and great pride that the management of the academy has tied such an excellent ensemble closer to RDAM. He also announced that he has great expectations for the future collaboration.

The Danish String Quartet was formed in 2002 (under the name The Young Danish String Quartet) and has received tuition from professor at RDAM, Tim Frederiksen, who has also been their mentor. The violinist Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (b. 1983) and the viola player Asbjørn Nørgaard (b. 1984) graduated from RDAM's Advanced Postgraduate class in 2009 and 2013. The violinist Frederik Øland (b. 1984) also graduated from RDAM, while the Norwegian cellist Fredrik Sjölin (b. 1982) is a graduate from Edsberg Music Institute in Stockholm. Since 2009, both Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and Frederik Øland have been teachers of violin at RDAM.

Further information about The Danish String Quartet at www.danishquartet.com.

Foto: Caroline Bittencourt