Biography
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.'
As well as performing the classical repertoire, the quartet is keen on collaborating with artists of other genres such as singer-songwriter Nana Adjoa, composer Sarah Neutkens, big band New Cool Collective with which they released Opus 127, an EP containing jazz variations on Beethoven's twelfth string quartet and composer and jazz pianist Rembrandt Frerichs with whom they released Piano Concertos Nos. 1-2 of which De Volkskrant stated they play '[...] with a lot of flair and finesse.'
The quartet has recorded for a number of labels including Sony Classical, Universal Music, BIS Records, Challenge Records, Gutman Records and TRPTK. They've also collaborated with techno producer Henrik Schwarz on a multitude of projects.
On their album CCMYK, they explore the possibilities of seamlessly fusing newly composed electronic and classical music into a new language.
The quartet has performed at prestigious concert halls in Germany, Spain, Japan, China, Hungary, Netherlands and Turkey including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Philharmonie Cologne, Oji Hall Ginza Tokyo, Kyoto Concert Hall, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Müpa Budapest, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, De Doelen Rotterdam, 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 theaters such as Jazz Cafe London, Philharmonie Haarlem, Diligentia Den Haag, Volksbühne Berlin, Temple Beijing, Musis Arnhem, Paradiso Amsterdam, Bimhuis and Kulturbrauerei Berlin.
They have played during captivating events and festivals such as String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Schiermonnikoog Festival, Schumannfest Düsseldorf, Festival Salon-de-Provence, Amsterdam Dance Event, XJazz Festival Berlin, Down The Rabbit Hole, Beyond the Pale Festival Ireland, Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin, Theater Spektakel Zurich and TEDx Amsterdam.
Alma Quartet has collaborated with diverse artists such as Klaus Mäkelä, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, Martin Fröst, Denis Kozhukhin, Amihai Grosz, Philip Glass, Nico Muhly, Samuel Adams, Fabio di Càsola, Milica Djordjevic, Jörgen van Rijen, Hauschka, Julien Libeer, Lavinia Meijer, Ramon van Engelenhoven, Bugge Wesseltoft, Su Yeon Kim, Frank Braley, Mahsa Vahdat, Alma Sadé, Nicolas van Poucke, Ella van Poucke, Dominic Seldis, Caspar Vos, Nino Gvetadze and Frank Lammers.
