★★★★★ “The lyricism and airy limpidity of the four performers give these movements a profundity and unexpected allure.” Diapason, France

Chamber Music Concerts (CMC) presents the Esmé Quartet on Saturday, February 21 at 7:30pm at the Southern Oregon University Music Recital Hall, 450 S Mountain Ave, Ashland, OR. Purchase tickets at ChamberMusicConcerts.org or call 541-552-6154.

Praised for their warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esmé Quartet was formed in 2016 at the Hochschule für Musik in Cologne, Germany by four musicians who had been friends since their youth. The quartet has rapidly gained a worldwide reputation as a chamber ensemble of exceptional artistry and achievement.

In Spring of 2018, the quartet won the first prize as well as sweeping four special prizes at the prestigious Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London, and in the same year it became HSBC Laureate of the Académie du Festival d’Aix. This recognition followed prizes at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition and the 55th Possehl Musikpreis Lübeck. In October 2020, the quartet was awarded the first Hans-Gál Prize by the Academy of Sciences and Literature Mainz, and Villa Musica.
The Esmé Quartet was named the first Artists-in-Residence at the Lotte Concert Hall, Seoul, Korea for the 2020-2021 season. Most recently, they have been named Ensemble-in-Residence at San Francisco Performances where they are currently based. The quartet takes its name “Esmé” from the old French word for “beloved.”

The Esmé’s concert program for CMC features Henri Dutilleux’s Ainsi la nuit; Maurice Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major; and Franz Schubert’s String Quartet No. 14, D. 810 "Death and the Maiden.”

Tickets are $39/49, with discounts available for full-time students and Oregon Trail Card holders. Purchase online at ChamberMusicConcerts.org or by calling 541-552-6154.