Danish String Quartet

The Danish String Quartet was formed in 2004 by four students in Tim Frederiksen’s chamber music class at the Royal Danish Academy of Music in Copenhagen. It quickly made its mark, winning the Danish Radio Chamber Music Competition that same year, followed by victories in 2005 at the Trondheim, Charles Hennen, and Vagn Holmboe Competitions and, in 2009, at the London International String Quartet Competition. Since 2008, when Norwegian cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin joined violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørensen and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard, the ensemble has performed in its current lineup; in place of Øland, who is on parental leave, this evening’s performances feature Ludvig Gudim, concertmaster of the Danish National Symphony Orchestra. A regular presence at major chamber music venues worldwide, the Quartet has curated its own DSQ Festival in Copenhagen since 2007. Its programming is known for imaginative juxtapositions of core repertoire with new music, exemplified by the “Doppelgänger” project, which from 2021 to 2025 paired Schubert quartets with world premieres of commissions by Bent Sørensen, Lotta Wennäkoski, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Thomas Adès. The ensemble’s recordings include the five-volume PRISM series, placing Beethoven and Bach alongside Shostakovich, Schnittke, Bartók, Mendelssohn, and Webern. Its latest release, Keel Road, explores traditional Northern European music — another central strand of its artistic identity. In 2025, the Danish String Quartet received the Léonie Sonning Music Prize, one of the most prestigious awards in classical music.

February 2026