About us

4 Horizons, 4 Instruments, 16 Strings.

Belgium, Spain, United Kingdom, Germany? So what! What separates us? A lot of things! What unites us? Even more! Spontaneity, self-doubt, fun, perfection, stress, fear, adrenaline, basic trust, joy, madness, and time and again: music, music, music. The intimate feeling of being able to strike a chord. To find each another. Among ourselves. And our listeners, our audience. So different. So united.

The Adelphi Quartet

Maxime MICHALUK (Violin I / Belgium)
Esther AGUSTÍ MATABOSCH (Violin II / Spain)
Adam NEWMAN (Viola / England)
Nepomuk BRAUN (Cello / Germany)

The ADELPHI Quartet consists of four European musicians. Founded in 2017, the quartet studied with the Hagen Quartet at the Mozarteum University in Salzburg and received valuable support from Eberhard Feltz, Valentin Erben and György Kurtág.

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In 2020, the quartet was awarded 1st prize at the prestigious Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation Competition at the Heidelberger Frühling String Quartet Festival and in 2021 became multiple prize winners at the 12th International Competition "Premio Paolo Borciani" in Reggio Emilia (Italy).

At the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in April 2022, the quartet was also awarded 2nd prize and a special prize from the Esterházy Foundation.

 

Over the last year, the Quartet has given debut recitals at Wigmore Hall, the Fundación Juan March in Madrid, Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern and the Aldeburgh Festival, where they premiered Bushra El-Turk’s Quartet: Painting Secrets. Concert highlights to date include performances at the Sommerliche Musiktage Hitzacker, the Musiktage Mondsee, the Festival de Quatuor "Voix Intimes" in Tournai (Belgium), the Paris Philharmonie, the International Mozarteum Foundation Salzburg as well as debut and re-invitation at the Heidelberger Frühling String Quartet Festival.

Furthermore, the quartet gave performances of Schubert's String Quintet with Valentin Erben (cellist of the Alban Berg Quartet). During a workshop organised by Jeunesses Musicales Germany, the ADELPHIS passed on their own experience to young composers.

During the 2022/23 season they return to Wigmore Hall and give recitals at the Esterhazy Palace, the Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, the Berlin Philharmonie, Staatstheater Darmstadt, Flagey in Brussels and at the Queille Festival in France. Furthermore, recordings by SWR are coming up.

 

The four musicians of the quartet studied with prominent teachers such as Igor Ozim, Benjamin Schmid, Rainer Schmidt, Lars Anders Tomter, Kim Kashkashian, Heinrich Schiff and Clemens Hagen, among others.

 

Following its success at the Young Classical Artists Trust International Auditions, the ADELPHI Quartet has been supported as a YCAT Artist since June 2021. They also got selected as the inaugural YCAT Hans Keller Artist, which resulted in the premiere and recording of " Saffron Dusk " by Bushra El-Turk.

The four musicians – each an outstanding instrumentalist in their own right – have long ago developed into a delightfully balanced ensemble. Their interpretive style is characterised by a sensitive understanding of music and a great sense of responsibility towards the masterpieces of their repertoire.
Valentin Erben
A very interesting young ensemble, with a beautiful understanding of phrasing, harmony and music. They are inspiring to listen to, and make you want to play with them.
Antoine Tamestit