In international demand for their exceptionally integrated sound and rare musical versatility, the Danish String Quartet return to the United States in October 2016 for a twelve-concert tour.  Since making their debut in 2002 at the Copenhagen Festival, the group of musical friends have demonstrated a passion for Scandinavian composers, whom they frequently incorporate into adventurous contemporary programs, while proving themselves to be skilled and profound performers of the classical masters.

This fall the Quartet bring exciting and varied programs, featuring Beethoven, Bach, Janáček, Shostakovich, Nordic folk music, and a new work by Norwegian composer Rolf Wallin, commissioned by the Danish String Quartet, entitled Swans Kissing after the series of abstract paintings by Swedish artist Hilma af Klint. On October 26, the Quartet make their Carnegie Hall debut in Zankel Hall with eminent Swedish cellist Torleif Thedéen:

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall
SHOSTAKOVICH String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144
SCHUBERT String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (with Torleif Thedéen, cello)

The Danish String Quartet released their first disc on ECM Records in Spring 2016, featuring works by Danish composers Per Nørgård (Quartetto Breve -  his first quartet) and Hans Abrahamsen (10 Preludes), and English composer Thomas Adès (Arcadiana), each of whom have recently received significant awards in composition. The recording, which has earned international acclaim, is described by The Guardian as, “an exacting programme requiring grace, grit, and clarity and the Danish players sound terrific - lithe and glassy in the Abrahamsen, richer in the Nørgard, able to capture the picturesque watery shimmer of the Adès but also the slime and murk below the surface. It’s a sophisticated performance.”  

Their talents have secured them numerous prizes and coveted appointments including the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s CMS Two Program, the BBC Radio 3 New Generation Artists program, the Carl Neilsen Prize, and, in February 2016, the Quartet received the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award to assist them in their musical endeavors on an international scale. In September the ensemble hosts their tenth annual Danish String Quartet Festival in Copenhagen, a four-day event that brings together colleagues and friends the quartet have met on their travels.  They have become frequent visitors of London’s Wigmore Hall, and recently made their debuts at the Caramoor, Tanglewood, and Edinburgh Festivals to standing ovations.  Their capacity to communicate and sustain listeners with their musical ideas, fresh approach, and seamlessly balanced sound distinguishes them into the top echelon of string quartets before the public today.

DANISH STRING QUARTET
Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen (Violin)
Frederik Øland (Violin)
Asbjørn Nørgaard (Viola)
Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin (Cello)

Danish String Quartet website

Complete North American Tour Dates, Fall 2016:

Monday, October 10 at 7:30PM
Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City - Libby Gardner Concert Hall
Salt Lake City, Utah
Beethoven String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
Beethoven String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59

Thursday, October 13 at 7:30PM
Stanford University - Bing Concert Hall
Stanford, California
Wallin Swans Kissing (North American Premiere)
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
Beethoven String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59

Friday, October 14 at 7:30PM
Chamber Music Concerts - Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall
Ashland, Oregon
Bach Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue no. 7, BWV 876 (arr. Mozart)
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Beethoven String Quartet in E-flat Major, Op. 127

Saturday, October 15 at 3:00PM
Chamber Music Concerts - Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall
Ashland, Oregon
Beethoven String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
Arr. Danish String Quartet Nordic Folk Music

Monday, October 17 at 7:30PM
Friends of Chamber Music - Lincoln Performance Hall
Portland, Oregon
Beethoven String Quartet No. 4 in C Minor, Op. 18
Arr. Danish String Quartet Nordic Folk Music
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144

Tuesday, October 18 at 7:30PM
Friends of Chamber Music - Lincoln Performance Hall
Portland, Oregon
Wallin Swans Kissing
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
Beethoven String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59

Wednesday, October 19 at 7:30PM
Vancouver Recital Society - Vancouver Playhouse
Vancouver, British Columbia
Bach Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue no. 7, BWV 876  (arr. Mozart)
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Beethoven String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127

Friday, October 21 at 8:00PM
The Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City - 1900 Building
Kansas City, Missouri
Bach Well-Tempered Clavier, Book 2: Fugue no. 7, BWV 876  (arr. Mozart)
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Beethoven String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 127

Saturday, October 22 at 7:30PM
Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society -Wolfe Recital Hall
Corpus Christi, Texas
Wallin Swans Kissing
Janáček String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters”
Beethoven String Quartet No. 9 in C Major, Op. 59

Sunday, October 23 at 3:15PM
San Antonio Chamber Music Society - Temple Beth-El
San Antonio, Texas
Wallin Swans Kissing
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Arr. Danish String Quartet Nordic Folk Music

Wednesday, October 26, 2016 at 7:30 PM
Carnegie Hall, Zankel Hall
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat minor, Op. 144
Schubert String Quintet in C Major, D. 956 (with Torleif Thedéen, cello)

Friday, October 28 at 7:30PM
University of Chicago Presents - Mandel Hall
Chicago, Illinois
Shostakovich String Quartet No. 15 in E-flat Minor, Op. 144
Schubert String Quintet in C Major, D. 956