The Quartet
Ilka van der Plas – violin
Helena Druwé – violin
Rosalinde Kluck – viola
Mette Seidel – violoncello
Biography
The members of the EnAccord String Quartet, one of the youngest quartets in the Netherlands, were born in The Netherlands and Belgium and are graduates of the Royal Conservatory of Music in The Hague and the Conservatory of Amsterdam. The quartet was formed in 1998 as a result of the Orlando Chamber Music Festival.
Prizes
In September 2009 the EnAccord String Quartet won the 2nd prize at the 5th Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition after being prize winners at the International Joseph Haydn Competition in Vienna earlier in that year. In the Netherlands, they have won prizes at several international and national competitions for chamber music. In November 2008 the Kersjes Foundation awarded the quartet a special grant for String Quartets at a prize-giving ceremony in the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam.
Concerts and festivals
Established in 1998, the EnAccord String Quartet already has an impressive history of engagements. In October 2006 they performed in the concert series “Het Debuut”, touring 11 major chamber music venues in the Netherlands. Over the past few seasons, EnAccord’s touring schedule has included the Grachtenfestival, the Chamber Music Festival of Janine Jansen, the Cross-Linx Festival and the Festival Classique in Den Haag. In addition, EnAccord also gave concerts in the Recital Hall of the Concertgebouw and Theater Diligentia in Den Haag. Outside of the Netherlands they have been guest artists in Paris for the organization ProQuartet and in both Sienna and Loro Ciufenna, at the Academia Chigiana. They have performed in Amman, Istanbul (LancoConcerts), Budapest (during the LOW-festival of the low countries), Geneva (festival Temple de la Fusterie), and New York’s Carnegie Hall as part of a workshop given by the Kronos Quartet.
Unique instruments
The quartet is very grateful to the National Foundation for Musical Instrument (NMF) for the use of a fine selection of 19th century French instruments from their collection; two violins and a viola by J.B. Vuillaume and a cello by P. & H. Silvestre.
Inspiring collaborations
The EnAccord String Quartet has collaborated with many renowned musicians, including clarinettist Walter Boeijkens, oboist Bart Schneemann and violist Hartmut Rhode. In the coming season they look forward to performances with cellist Maartje-Maria den Herder and pianist Severin von Eckardstein.
Coaching
EnAccord currently receives monthly coaching by members of the Alban Berg Quartet at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne. In February 2010 they were participants of a one-week Aldeburgh Residency, studying with Isabel Charisius at Snape Maltings, and culminating in a performance at the Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh. They have also taken part in international masterclasses under Valentin Berlinsky (Borodin Quartet), Earl Carlyss (Juilliard Quartet), Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet), Christoph Coin (Quatuor Mosaiques), and the members of the Takacs Quartet (in the Recital Hall of the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam). Between 2003 and 2006 the EnAccord String Quartet studied with Stefan Metz part time at the Dutch String Quartet Academy.
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