Ensembles

The Amaris Quartet was formed in 2023, after meeting each other at the Conservatory of Amsterdam. United by a shared love for chamber music, they've been working and performing closely ever since, under the inspiring mentorship of renowned cellist and teacher Dmitry Ferschtman. As of April 2025, the quartet will be part of the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA).

They've played at various venues, including MuziekHaven in Zaandam, the Muziekgebouw aan 't lJ in Amsterdam, and the Stift Church in Weerselo.

The Animato Quartet is considered the most promising young string quartet in the Netherlands and is known for its passionate, spontaneous playing and powerful stage presence. Since its founding in 2013, the quartet's programs have combined classical works from the string quartet repertoire with contemporary compositions.

"Four top players with vibrant energy, they captivate you from the very first note! The quartet is at the service of each other and of the music and is the great promise of Dutch string quartets." Jury Dutch Classical Talent

In January 2025, the Animato Quartet won first prize at the international Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation Competition and was invited to return to the Heidelberg Spring Festival in 2026. 
In 2023, the quartet collaborated with violist Nils Mönkemeyer at the Kammermusikpreis Gut Hasselburg in Germany, where they won both first prize and the audience award. 
In 2022, the quartet received the Special Prize for Exceptionally Talented Ensemble at the 9th International Joseph Joachim Chamber Music Competition in Weimar. In September 2021, they won third prize and a special jury prize at the prestigious International Chamber Music Competition in Trondheim. 
In 2022, the quartet was invited to the renowned Verbier Festival Academy and was one of ten quartets selected to participate in the Banff International String Quartet Competition in Canada.

In 2023, Animato received the prestigious Kersjes Prize, worth €50,000, the most important Dutch state award for chamber music talent! The jury report reads: "The four players, each maintaining and utilizing their individual expression, have developed a layered and intense playing, like a quartet with a broad palette."

In the Netherlands, the Animato Quartet has performed on all the major stages. Internationally, they have given concerts in prestigious halls such as the Paris Philharmonic, the Luxembourg Philharmonic, and in the chamber music series at the Gewandhaus in Leipzig. 
The quartet has also performed at numerous international festivals, including the Utrecht International Chamber Music Festival, the Stift Festival, and the Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale. Outside the Netherlands, they have appeared at festivals in Portugal, Germany, Norway, Denmark, Switzerland, and France.

Until 2022, the Animato Quartet was artist-in-residence at the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA). 
Their development, both as musicians and as a quartet, has also benefited greatly from lessons and mentorship from some of the most renowned musicians in their field, including Eberhard Feltz, Marc Danel, Hatto Beyerle, Anner Bylsma, Jan-Willem de Vriend, Alfred Brendel, Gerhard Schulz, and Vera Beths.

The quartet concluded 2024 with a two-week tour of Indonesia, organized by the Erasmus House in Jakarta, where they gave concerts and workshops in Jakarta, Ambon, and Makassar. 
Two CD releases are planned for the coming year: a first recording of Osvaldo Golijov's nonet Ever Yours and their debut album of works by Britten and Bartók.

Major highlights in 2025 include their return to the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, as well as their debuts in Finland, Hungary, and at the Oslo Quartet Series. 
They have also been invited back to the Amsterdam String Quartet Biennale in 2026 and will perform with the Quatuor Danel at Diligentia in The Hague later this season.

The Animato Quartet is grateful and privileged to play on beautiful instruments. Inga plays a Tommasso Eberle violin from 1776 (Naples), on loan from Dextra Musica. Tim plays a Johannes Theodorus Cuypers violin from 1797 (Netherlands), Elisa Karen plays a Daniel Royé viola from 2017, and Pieter plays a Dutch cello by Pieter Rombouts from 1710.

Based in Europe, the Ast Quartet derives its name from the German word Ast (“branch”), a symbol of the growth and global reach of music. The ensemble consists of passionate young musicians who, with their energetic playing and fresh perspective, bring a new dynamic to the classical music scene and aim to connect with audiences around the world.

The quartet received the special prize for the best performance of a newly composed string quartet by Gérard Pesson at the 13th Premio Paolo Borciani Competition and reached the semi-finals of the Concours de Genève 2023. Shortly after their formation, they performed at venues including the Berliner Philharmonie, the Seoul Arts Center International Music Festival, the Mozart Festival of the HfM Hanns Eisler Berlin, the 50th Anniversary Summer Festival of the HMTM Hannover, the Crescendo Festival of the Universität der Künste Berlin, and Music in PyeongChang. In 2024, they performed as featured artists at the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker, the McGill International String Quartet Academy (MISQA), and Traiettorie 2024, and were invited to the Festival de Quatuors à Cordes en Pays de Fayence. Additionally, the quartet participated in projects by Villa Musica Rheinland-Pfalz and Hohenloher Kultursommer 2024.

Furthermore, the Ast Quartet was selected as a scholarship recipient of Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland and received, among others, the Ernst von Siemens Music Foundation Scholarship, the Börsenclub Hannover “Startup-Musician” Award, and a scholarship from the Förderkreis der HMTMH e.V.

The Ast Quartet completed its studies at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover under Professor Oliver Wille. In addition, the ensemble gained valuable inspiration during master classes with Corina Belcea, Kuss Quartet, Eberhard Feltz, Mathieu Herzog, Heime Müller, Midori, Wolfgang Redik, Philip Setzer and Tabea Zimmermann. They are currently continuing their studies with Professor Günter Pichler at the Reina Sofía School of Music in Madrid.

The Astari String Quartet is a dynamic ensemble of young, passionate musicians dedicated to exploring new styles and pushing the boundaries of classical music. As emerging artists, we are deeply committed to refining our craft and expanding our repertoire, always striving to deliver fresh and innovative performances.

Our collective ambition is to make a lasting impact in the classical music world. As part of this journey, we are eager to participate in the ProQuartet Festival in France next year. This opportunity will allow us to further develop as an ensemble and connect with the vibrant community of string quartets from around the world.

Photo: Andrej Grilc

Four international musicians, four unique personalities, one string quartet. The Barbican Quartet is an original voice on the chamber music scene, delighting audiences with their intimately powerful performances and virtuosic ensemble playing.

2022 has already been an outstanding year for the BSQ, following the appointment of new second violinist in February. Instant connection between the four musicians led to the development of a distinct and luscious quality of sound, which was quickly recognized by their mentors the Quatuor Ébène and Günter Pichler. A short 6 months later the quartet celebrated an outstanding first prize win at the 71st ARD International String Quartet Competition, also being awarded the special prize for Best Interpretation of the commissioned work by Dobrinka Tabakova, the Genuin Classics CD production special prize, the GEWA prize and the Henle Urtext prize. This incredible success follows the quartets third prize win at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in May.

Barbican has been In Residence at the NSKA since 2020.

The Belinfante Quartet is known for their sincere interpretation of the string quartet core repertoire, as well as their lively performance of works by lesser-known composers. Praised by the NRC with ‘Gloeiend samenspel en experimenteerdrift’ for their debut CD, the quartet aims to continue this with their own arrangements of folk music.

They study at the Hochschule für Musik, Theater und Medien Hannover with Oliver Wille, and are also affiliated with the Dutch String Quartet Academy. They were recently selected to participate in MUSA (European Young Musicians Soft Skills Alliance), a professional European training program for young string quartets, funded by Erasmus+.

The Belinfante Quartet also participated in the SQBA Residency of the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, where they were allowed to play at the concert during the last ‘corona’ edition, which was cancelled due to restrictions, and also premiered M. Wantenaar's first string quartet.

In addition to concerts, the Belinfante Quartet enjoys working with artists from other disciplines.

In 2020, they collaborated with the urban dance group Static and Who's Next for workshops and performances with dance and classical music at secondary schools in Almere.

In 2021, they combined Haydn's 'Sieben Letzten Worte' with projected visualizations of the music, created by Jordi Cardenas.

The quartet's name honors Frieda Belinfante, cellist and the first female conductor in Europe. Her sincerity, determination and fervor, both in music and in other aspects of her life, are a great source of inspiration.

The Belinfante Quartet is supported by the Kersjesfonds, Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds, Anja Fichte Stiftung and the Heij Konijn Fonds. We would like to thank them all for their generous support.

Formed at the Indiana University in the USA with four founding members from Hong Kong in 2015, Cong Quartet was the Ensemble-in-Residence at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK). The quartet also served the artistic residency of Musique à Flaine and was part of the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA), a musical partner of Domaine de La Garde in France, and a member of Le Dimore del Quartetto in Italy.

Drawing from the mentorship of the Pacifica Quartet at Jacobs School of Music, Ivan Chan at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, Quatuor Danel and members of the Quatuor Ysaÿe & Quatuor Ebène in Europe, Cong Quartet's journey was fueled by top prize wins at the Virtuoso & Belcanto's Chamber Music Competition in Italy, Salzburg Mozart International Chamber Music Competition, and was a laureate of many other competitions including the Banff International String Quartet Competition and International Music Competition Triomphe de l'Art in Brussels. 

The quartet has participated in many chamber music festivals, such as the Accademia Internazionale di Musica di Cagliari, Mimir Chamber Music Festival, String Quartet Biennale in Paris, Juilliard String Quartet Seminar, Robert Mann String Quartet Institute, Heifetz International Music Institute, Music in PyeongChang, the Ozawa International Chamber Music Academy, as well as the European Chamber Music Academy (ECMA) and Musethica in Europe. They have performed with world-renowned artists such as the Borromeo Quartet, Quatuor Danel, members of Jerusalem Quartet, Juan-Miguel Hernandez, Jorja Fleezanis, Joshua Bell, Enrico Pace & Yuri Bashmet among many others.

Cong Quartet recently performed at the ACO on the Pier in Sydney, Philharmonie de Paris, The Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, TivoliVredenburg in Utrecht and many other significant venues during their two last seasons. The quartet plays on a set of instruments made for their 10th anniversary, with wood from the same tree by Yair Hod Fainas in Paris in 2025.

Conical Brass Quintet was founded in 2024 within the academic environment of the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, bringing together talented musicians from Italy, Portugal, and Spain. The ensemble was created with the aim of fully exploring and expanding the artistic possibilities of the brass quintet format.

True to its name, Conical Brass Quintet exclusively uses conical-bore instruments. Instead of traditional trumpets, the ensemble performs on cornets or flugelhorns, while the trombone is replaced by the euphonium. This deliberate choice seeks a distinctive and cohesive timbre: a darker, warmer, and more balanced sound in which all voices blend organically, as opposed to the more contrasting and heterogeneous sonority of the traditional brass quintet.

This innovative approach allows the ensemble to explore new repertoire and to offer fresh, nuanced interpretations of established works written for brass quintet, as well as original arrangements of string quartet repertoire specially adapted for this unique instrumentation.

Despite its recent formation, Conical Brass Quintet has already performed in several successful concerts in Italy and the Netherlands, including appearances at prominent venues such as Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ in Amsterdam, where they received enthusiastic responses from audiences.

The quintet reached the semifinals of the Gasparo da Salò International Chamber Music Competition and is a member of the Netherlands String Quartet Academy (NSKA). Through the NSKA, the ensemble regularly participates in masterclasses with members of some of the world’s leading string quartets.

The group has also received coaching from Yovan Markovitch (Quatuor Danel), Nicolas Isabelle (Orchestra of the 18th Century), and Jasper de Waal (former Principal Horn of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra).

The Musikfreunde Magazine praised the Cuore Piano Trio’s debut in the Brahms Hall of the Wiener Musikverein in 2022 as “brilliant.” They have recently been awarded the 1st Prize and a Special Prize of the Elbląg Chamber Orchestra at the 10th International Johannes Brahms Chamber Music Competition 2025 in Gdańsk (Poland). They regularly take lessons from Avedis Kouyoumdjian, Johannes Meissl and Patrick Jüdt as an ECMA Ensemble. They hold the title of mdw Artists, awarded to the most promising students of the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, they were also named the Ensemble of the Year of the Italian chamber music network Le Dimore del Quartetto. In 2026 they will make their debut at the Wigmore Hall in London.

In January 2024, following their Grand Prix win at the Music & Stars International Music Competition in Estonia, they released their debut album, Never Twice the Same (KNS Classical). The album features a selection of Polish, French, American, and Argentinian pieces. Patrice Imbaud from ResMusica noted: “(...) Winners of numerous international competitions, and based in Vienna, the trio boasts originality, discovery and the pleasure of playing as the key words of their repertoire, of which this CD constitutes a living reflection. (...)” Never Twice the Same is available on all major streaming platforms.

Since 2022, the trio has regularly performed at the Brahms Hall of the Musikverein Wien as the official ensemble for the “Souvenir” concert cycle, presented alongside moderator Veronika Mandl. They also appear in other venues within the Musikverein Wien, including events such as the Musikverein Festival and High Class I. The trio performs frequently across Europe, including Poland, Austria, Germany, UK, Italy, Finland, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania. Their festival appearances include the PRISMA Festival (Canada), Kalkalpen Kammermusikfestival (Austria), Bad Schandauer Musiksommer (Germany), Festival Mlada Praha (Czech Republic), and the Karol Lipiński Festival (Poland). In 2023, they served as Ensemble in Residence at the Canadian PRISMA Festival in Powell River. In 2024, they gave 12 recitals in Canada during the “Never Twice the Same BC Tour,” promoting their debut album. In 2023, the made their concerto debut with Jan Söderblom and Jyväskylä Sinfonia as finalists in the Ilmari Hannikainen Piano Chamber Music Competition.

Cuore Piano Trio was founded in 2017 in Warsaw. Currently based in Vienna and Berlin, they also receive individual coaching from Avedis Kouyoumdjian and Christian Altenburger at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, as well as Claudio Bohórquez at Hochschule für Musik Hanns Eisler in Berlin and Jens Peter Maintz at Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía. Their work has been greatly influenced by artists such as Hatto Beyerle, Eberhard Feltz, Minna Pensola or Sibila Konstantinova. 

The musicians have received scholarships from the Polish Prime Minister, the Polish Minister of Culture and National Heritage, Villa Musica, PE-Förderungen, Deutsche Orchester Stiftung, „Bridge to the Future” from Globalworth Foundation and Julian Cochran Foundation, the Société Générale Bank and others. Cuore Piano Trio has been supported by the Polish Lubelskie Voivodeship since 2022. 

In 2025/2026 Cuore Piano Trio performs in Austria, Poland, Canada, Switzerland, UK and Italy.

The Damsco Quartet is an up and coming string quartet based in Amsterdam. The four young musicians have only been playing together since 2022, what started as a fun and challenging activity for people who shared a great love for chamber music and very soon after they started playing together, they stormed the stages. Their first performance at the festival Forbidden Music Regained was received with great acclaim and was followed by a CD recording of Henriëtte Bosmans' string quartet for publisher Donemus. These recordings are released on streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music and more. The quartet is taught by Dmitry Ferschtman and other teachers/professors from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Shortly after Forbidden Music Regained, the quartet was invited for a live radio show ''Concertzender Actueel'' where they talked about their meeting and future plans for the Damsco Quartet. From 2023, the Damsco quartet started their studies at NSKA under the mentorship of Marc Danels.

A four-headed dragon — that is how you can picture the Dokwerk Saxophone Quartet: four powerful voices breathing as one. And yes, sometimes this dragon breathes fire.

Dokwerk is known for its infectious energy and fearless musicality and regularly appears among the prize winners of international chamber music competitions. Highlights include the First Prize in the chamber music category of the International Competition “Vítor Santos” 2021 (Portugal), the First Prize of the Italian contemporary music competition Reate, and both the First Prize and the Podium Prize at the Gelre Chamber Music Competition 2022 (the Netherlands). In 2025, they received the Audience Award at the Schiermonnikoog Festival. In the 2025/26 season, Dokwerk is touring fourteen leading concert halls in the Netherlands as a finalist of the Dutch Classical Talent Award. Hailing from Germany, Taiwan, Italy, and Portugal, the four saxophonists met in Amsterdam, where—inspired by their new shared home—they gave their ensemble a Dutch name: Dokwerk. Since then, they have represented a new generation of the Dutch saxophone school, which they enrich and expand with bold and adventurous programming. Dokwerk knows how to surprise audiences with performances full of energy, contrast, and tension. Lisa, Jen-Hong, Ileana, and Pedro place great value on a direct connection with their listeners and combine intensity with tenderness.

The quartet has performed in leading venues such as the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Muziekgebouw aan ’t IJ, TivoliVredenburg, De Doelen, and Muziekgebouw Eindhoven, and can regularly be heard on Dutch national radio and television.

In 2022, Dokwerk joined the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA)—an important and formative step in their artistic development. Under the guidance of artistic director Marc Danel, and inspired by the rich tradition of the string quartet, they continue to shape their own identity as a saxophone quartet — with respect for tradition and an eye for new artistic avenues.

Rooted in diverse cultures and driven by a shared artistic vision, Dokwerk strives to secure a lasting place for the classical saxophone in the music of today and tomorrow.

Named after the French artist Gustave Doré, Doré Quartet is an Italian string quartet founded at the ConservatoriumMaastricht in 2021 by four young musicians.

It quickly gained international recognition, performing at major festivals and institutions across Italy, Spain, Austria, Germany, Switzerland and the Netherlands, including Società del Quartetto di Milano, Società Filarmonica di Trento, Bologna Festival, MantovaMusica, Orlando Festival, Kunstenfestival Musica Sacra and the Muziekgebouw in Eindhoven.

The quartet has achieved success in competitions such as the 3rd Swiss International Music Competition, the 14thConcorso Internazionale Musicale "Luigi Cerritelli" and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Chamber Music Competition 2024. It has also been granted a scholarship from the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.

Doré Quartet regularly takes part in advanced courses and masterclasses, including the Zeister Muziekdagen and the Orlando European Summer Course for Chamber Music (Netherlands), the 70th Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus in Weikersheim (Germany), a Musethica/ECMA session in Grafenegg (Austria) as well as a Musethica session in Kinzigtal (Germany) and the Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival in Lucca (Italy).

The quartet has collaborated with musicians such as Eckart Runge, cellist of the Artemis Quartet, and soloists Anna Agafia Egholm and Anthony Ratinov.

Doré Quartet is attending the “Ébène Quartet Academy” with Quatuor Ébène at the Hochschule für Musik und Theater München, the String Quartet Advanced Programme at the Accademia Stauffer in Cremona with Quartetto di Cremona, as well as the Chamber Music course at the Accademia Perosi in Biella with Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartet) and the Nederlandse StrijkKwartet Academie in Utrecht with Marc Danel (Quatuor Danel).

The quartet has attended masterclasses with some of the world’s most renowned chamber music teachers, includingGünter Pichler (Alban Berg Quartett) through a collaboration with Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, Heime Müller (Artemis Quartett), David Finckel (Emerson String Quartet), Luc-Marie Aguera and Miguel Da Silva (Ysaÿe Quartet) and all members of the Jerusalem Quartet.

In 2024, as a result of the collaboration between Fondazione Pro Canale and the Accademia Stauffer, Doré Quartet received four historical instruments provided by Fondazione Pro Canale on loan.

Doré Quartet has been selected to join “Le Dimore del Quartetto” network.