Attending a concert by the Quatuor Ébène is always an exceptional musical and sensual happening. In the past two decades the quartet has set new standards through its recordings and performances, and established itself as one of the handful of quartets that are at the summit of musical excellence.

Founded in Paris in 1999, the quartet has a reputation for purity of sound, thrilling virtuosity, and an intense rapport with its audiences. Its versatility is celebrated, with the New York Times once remarking that this was ‘a string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band’. Quatuor Ébène's albums – with celebrated recordings of Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Haydn, Fauré and Mendelssohn already to its credit - have received numerous awards, including Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine, and the Midem Classic Award. Their musical partnerships have included the countertenor Philippe Jaroussky, baritone Matthias Goerne, and cellist Gautier Capuçon (the latter being two artists who have also appeared for Camerata Musica). Together with violist Antoine Tamestit, Quatuor Ébène recorded the Mozart String Quintets K. 515 and K. 516 in 2023, an album which has gone on to be garlanded with prizes.

The quartet has appeared in all the major concert halls of the world, including the Philharmonie de Paris, the Alte Oper Frankfurt, Carnegie Hall New York, and the Vienna Konzerthaus, Berlin Philharmonie, as well as the Verbier and Salzburg Festivals.

Instruments

Pierre Colombet plays two violins: a 1717 Antonio Stradivari, the ‘Piatti’ and a 1736 Matteo Goffriller.

Gabriel Le Magadure plays two violins: one by Pietro Guarneri of Venice (the ex-‘Baron Rothschild’) and a violin from around 1740, attributed to Guarneri.

Marie Chilemme plays two violas: a 1734 Stradivari and one by Marcellus Hollmayr, Füssen, from 1625.

Yuya Okamoto plays a violoncello by Giovanni Grancino, Milan, from 1682.