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About
Alma Quartet was formed in 2014 and quickly gained reputation as one of the most thrilling ensembles in Holland. Their debut album: Schulhoff Complete String Quartets has received stellar international praise. The Gramophone claimed "this set shoots straight to the top" and also admired the quartet for being "capable of the most seductive playing". The album was chosen for the 2017 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 'Bestenliste' and was also featured on several German national radio stations including Deutschlandfunk and SWR2, the latter hailing Alma's Schulhoff cycle as the "new reference recording".
Their second album: Alma Quartet: Dutilleux and Glass, released on vinyl, has equally enjoyed immediate critical praise. Receiving 4-stars across the board from major publications, the quartet is noted for their "collective antenna for sophisticated timbres" by the Volkskrant, and for their "carefully forged unity" by the Telegraaf.
As well as performing the classical repertoire, the quartet is keen on collaborating with producer Henrik Schwarz in a multitude of projects. Their album CCMYK, in which they explore the possibilities of seamlessly fusing newly composed electronic and classical music into a new language, has recently been released on the label Between Buttons. A new project called Plunderphonia is currently being developed.
The quartet has performed at prestigious concert halls including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam, Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, Süreyya Opera House Istanbul, Tianjin Grand Theatre, Harbin Concert Hall, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall, as well as clubs and other venues such as Volksbühne Berlin, Temple Beijing, Musis Sacrum Arnhem, Theaters Tilburg, Theater de Veste Delft, Paradiso, Bimhuis, Melkweg Amsterdam, Kulturbrauerei Berlin, Střecha Lucerny Prague and MCO Hilversum.
They have played captivating events such as Schumannfest, Robeco SummerNights, Classical Music Rave, XJazz Festival, Down The Rabbit Hole, Klassifest, Shoeless Festival, Pop-Kultur Festival, Theater Spektakel Zurich and TRACKS. They are also frequent guests at major (international) radio and television shows including Podium Witteman on live national television.
Alma Quartet has collaborated with diverse artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, Denis Kozhukhin, Philip Glass, Hauschka, Henrik Schwarz, Dauwd, Mees Dierdorp, Nicolas van Poucke, Alexander Bedenko, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Nino Gvetadze, Aidan Mikdad, Jorinde Keesmaat and Frank Lammers.
Future engagements include concerts at the 2020 String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam such as ‘Quartet Satz’, the latest string quartet by Philip Glass and a show together with jazz saxophonist Benjamin Herman, a world premiere by Serbian composer Milica Djordjevič at the Concertgebouw Amsterdam as well as debut performances at Diligentia Den Haag and Oosterpoort Groningen. They will also make their debut in the United Kingdom with two performances at the Jazz Cafe in London with Henrik Schwarz. The recording of their new album for Gutman Records with the Ravel and Debussy string quartets is scheduled to be released in autumn 2019.
