Rubens Quartet

The Rubens Quartet–whose members come from the Netherlands, Israel and the US–has become one of the finest young quartets of its generation since being founded in 2000. The quartet continues to impress audiences throughout its home country of the Netherlands and abroad, and is praised for its warm sound, remarkable sense of rhythm and harmony, and ability to communicate with an audience.

Through its rich knowledge of string quartet culture, the Rubens Quartet strives to combine the old with the new, by interpreting lesser known works of the past and present and placing them alongside the great standards of the quartet repertoire. In its concert programs, the ensemble regularly pairs classic with contemporary (Haydn with Dutilleux, Stravinsky with Roukens), and is dedicated to promoting new music, having worked closely with such composers as György Kurtág, Louis Andriessen, Sofia Gubaidulina and Joey Roukens, who served as composer-in-residence for the quartet from 2009 to 2011. The quartet is honored to collaborate regularly with the leading chamber musicians of our time, such as the Borodin Quartet, pianist Inon Barnatan, violinist Liza Ferschtman and harpist Gwyneth Wentink.

The quartet is also active in music education, and has developed its own method “The art of perception: the perception of art” which involves introducing chamber music to schools all over the Netherlands. Since 2009 the quartet makes a Dutch tour annually with the winner of the Prinses Christina Concours Rubens Quartet Prize.

The Rubens Quartet studied for three years at the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA) in Amsterdam and finished its studies cum laude at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule in Berlin; during this time the quartet benefited from the guidance of world-renowned chamber music specialists, including György Kurtág and members of the Amadeus, Juilliard and Hagen Quartets. The quartet appears regularly at such venues as the String Quartet Festival in Luberon (France) and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The quartet holds top prizes from national and international string quartet competitions, and tours internationally.

Recently the Rubens Quartet has produced two internationally praised CDs on their own label RQ: “Rondom Roukens”, a document of their two-year residency with composer Joey Roukens, and an album with the complete flute quartets of Mozart with flutist Marieke Schneemann.