Alkyona Quartet

The Alkyona Quartet is known for its  fresh, imaginative interpretations, captivating performances and warm connection with audiences. Described as “vibrant and memorable as their ‘Kingfisher’ namesake,” the quartet has been recognised in the music community for its unique artistry. They were Tunnell Trust Award Holders for 2020-2021 and Making Music Selected Artists for 2021-2022. The group are currently the Royal College of Music String Quartet Fellows from 2022 to 2024.

 

They have performed in many leading UK venues including St Martin in the Fields, St John Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall, as well as at many music societies both at home and abroad. In 2023 they were guests at the Melbourne Quartetthaus Festival in Australia and Lichfield International Festival, and in 2024 are looking forward to a residency at the Lake District Summer Music Festival, and in Mallorca for Kirker Holidays. They were New Generation Artists at the Stift International Music Festival 2019 and are looking forward to performances at the Huygens Festival where they have been performing for the last 4 years, as well as appearing at numerous music societies both at home and abroad.

 

The quartet’s love for cross-disciplinary collaborations has led them to be the Ensemble in Residence at Leighton House Museum from 2019 to 2023. Their artistic ventures extend to partnerships with the Latin American band Quimantu, tabla player Kuljit Bhamra, and the dance company The Dutch Don’t Dance Division. In 2024, their recording of composer Anibal Vidal’s ‘Unboxing a Music Box’, a piece written for the Alkyona Quartet, was released by Sello Modular. Together with soprano Elisabeth Hetherington they performed a selection of Alma Mahler songs on live television in the Netherlands in 2022. They released their debut album, “Intimate Letters’ in June 2020 with Cegin Productions.

 

Outreach is an important part of their work and they are one of the ‘Young Professional’ quartets of Project String Quartet UK. Equally at home in education settings, the quartet have given masterclasses and side by side performances at numerous schools including Repton School, St Pauls Boy’s School and Ipswich School, where they led the string section of the Festival of Music two years running. 

The quartet is grateful for mentorship from Simon Rowland-Jones and Marc Danel. They are also grateful for sponsorship from the Dutch National Music Instrument Foundation for the loan of Jobine’s C.18th Lefebvre cello and the Harrison-Frank Foundation for the loan of Emma’s 1713 Venetian violin.

The quartet love collaborations across the arts and this year hold a residency at Leighton House Museum, where they have been running events, concerts and salons both online and in person. They released their debut album, “Intimate Letters’ in June 2020 in collaboration with Cegin Productions. As a quartet they especially enjoy cross-collaborative projects, and have worked closely with Latin American band Quimantu, film makers, Tabla player Kuljit Bhamra MBE, actress Saskia Reeves, percussionist Adriano Adewale, composer Caroline Heslop and dance company the Dutch Don’t Dance Division. The quartet have studied with Richard Lester, Marc Danel, Ben Hancox, Rafael Todes, Catherine Manson, James Boyd and Mark Messenger. The quartet is mentored by Marc Danel of the Danel Quartet in Holland as part of the National String Quartet Academy, and took part in the European Chamber Music Academy 2020.

Outreach is an important part of their work and they are one of the ‘Young Professional’ quartets of Project String Quartet UK. Equally at home in education settings, the quartet have given masterclasses and side by side performances at numerous schools including Repton School, St Pauls Boy’s School and Ipswich School, where they led the string section of the Festival of Music two years running.

The quartet is grateful for sponsorship for their studies and projects to the RCM Director’s Fund; The Tunnell Trust; the Dutch National Music Instrument Foundation for the loan of Jobine’s C.18th  Lefebvre cello and the Harrison-Frank Foundation for the loan of Emma’s 1713 Venetian violin.

www.alkyonaquartet.com