Simply Quartet

The recipient of many awards and internationally in demand, the Simply Quartet is one of the most outstanding string quartets of the new generation. The enormous breadth of its repertoire ranges from early classical works to the latest compositions by living artists. Always in search of the greatest possible fidelity to the works, the four musicians immerse themselves in meticulous study of the scores and decipher the musical text with great curiosity. The remarkable passion and virtuosity with which the ensemble always performs was described by the Hamburger Abendblatt, after their concert at the Elbphilharmonie in February 2023, as follows: “[...] they presented such a breathtaking performance that in the end the audience stamped their feet with enthusiasm ”

The Quartet has won four first prizes at renowned chamber music competitions: the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition 2019, the Quators à Bordeaux 2019, the Franz Schubert and Modern Music 2018 as well as at the 7th International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition in 2017.

In the 2021/22 season, the Simply Quartet was selected as part of the ECHO Rising Stars series, leading to debuts in the most important concert halls across Europe. The Quartet is now a regular guest at the Wigmore Hall, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Wiener Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie, the BOZAR in Brussels, and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam as well as at renowned festivals such as the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg and the Kissinger Sommer. In addition, tours have taken them to Colombia and China.

The Quartet’s current members came together during their studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where the four musicians worked closely with their most important mentor, Johannes Meissl. The Quartet was founded in Shanghai, where Jensen Horn-Sin Lam accompanied the ensemble from its beginning. Other important mentors were Hatto Beyerle and Patrick Jüdt (European Chamber Music Academy/ECMA) as well as Günter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartett).

Danfeng Shen plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini from 1753, which is made available to him thanks to a generous loan from Merito String Instruments Trust GmbH. Antonia Rankersberger plays a violin by Camillo Camilli from 1736 (Mantua), which is provided to her by the Austrian National Bank.

Picture: Lukas Beck