Belgium

Distribution

Coline Alecian and Jennifer Pio, violins
Ondine Simon, viola

Astrid Wauters, cello

Akhtamar, an Armenian legend. The name of the quartet is based on the Armenian pieces by Komitas/Aslamazyan, that the ensemble plays regularly since its foundation, and which became its signature.
The ensemble regularly performs in Belgium and in France. The string quartet played in well-known festivals such as Radio France in Montpellier, the festival van Vlaanderen, Voix Intimes, Quatuor à l’Ouest, Midis-Minimes, Musicancy, Vigan...
Several composers have already asked the Akhtamar String Quartet to record and perform their works (Eugénie Alecian, Sarah Wery, Maël Bailly, Michel Lysight, Michael Blake). In 2016, their first performance of un quatuor arménienwritten by Eugénie Alecian and dedicated to the Quartet, was the beginning of an international tour (in France – salle Cortot, Germany, Switzerland, Armenia...)
The quartet is also committed to social projects. As an example, the quartet played several times in psychiatric institutes in Paris. They also regularly perform in primary schools in Brussels. In 2017, they created a musical tale for the Jeunesses Musicales Tours. The ensemble also works with the Papier Plum’ Company.
The Akhtamar String Quartet was founded at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles. The Quartet was tutored by Guy Danel and the Debussy String Quartet. The ensemble is also part of ProQuartet's training institution, in which they have been taught by Isabel Charisius, Alasdair Tait, Eberhard Feltz and the Alban Berg Quartet. The ensemble also received the teaching of Luc-Marie Aguerra, Yovan Markovitch, Natalia Prishepenko, and the Kronos, Pražák, Diotima string quartets during masterclasses.
In 2014, the Akhtamar String Quartet won the the Horlait-Dapsens Prize in Brussels, and in 2016, they were one of the six selected string quartets for musical springboard of the Philharmonie in Paris, and for the Supernova selection in Flanders.
In July 2016, they recieved the second prize given by the Belgian radio Musiq’3.
The quartet’s shoes are a gift from our sponsor Karine Arabian Paris.
Akhtamar String Quartetr is taking part on the ProQuartet programme since 2015.

http://en.akhtamarstringquartet.com/