Alma Quartet was formed in 2014 and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most thrilling ensembles in Holland. Their debut album Schulhoff Complete String Quartets has received stellar international praise. The Gramophone claimed "this set shoots straight to the top" and also admired the quartet for being "capable of the most seductive playing." The album was chosen for the 2017 Preis der deutschen Schallplattenkritik 'Bestenliste' and was also featured on several German national radio stations including Deutschlandfunk and SWR2, the latter hailing Alma's Schulhoff cycle as the "new reference recording".
Alma Quartet: Dutilleux and Glass, released exclusively on vinyl, has equally enjoyed immediate critical praise. Receiving 4-stars across the board from major publications, the quartet is noted for their "collective antenna for sophisticated timbres" (Volkskrant), and for their "carefully forged unity" (Telegraaf).
Their latest album with the string quartets of Debussy, Ravel and Dutilleux has just recently been released. Luister Magazine gave its highest ranking and stated “Alma Quartet plays with desired liveliness, great rhythmic precision and exceptional sound.” And the Volkskrant claimed "[...] it has fire, is rhythmically razor-sharp and a sensuality of the unashamed kind with a beautiful, glowing depth."
As well as performing the classical repertoire, the quartet is keen on collaborating with producer Henrik Schwarz in a multitude of projects. Their album CCMYK, in which they explore the possibilities of seamlessly fusing newly composed electronic and classical music into a new language, has recently been released on the label Between Buttons. A new project called Plunderphonia is currently being developed.
The quartet has performed at prestigious concert halls including Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Konzerthaus Berlin, Tonhalle Düsseldorf, Muziekgebouw aan 't IJ Amsterdam, Sociedad Filarmónica de Bilbao, Süreyya Opera House Istanbul, Tianjin Grand Theatre, Harbin Concert Hall, Wuhan Qintai Concert Hall, as well as clubs and theaters such as Diligentia Den Haag, Volksbühne Berlin, Temple Beijing, Musis Arnhem, Theaters Tilburg, Theater de Veste Delft, Paradiso Amsterdam, Bimhuis, Melkweg Amsterdam, Kulturbrauerei Berlin and Střecha Lucerny Prague.
They have played during captivating events such as String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Schumannfest Düsseldorf, Classical Music Rave, XJazz Festival Berlin, Down The Rabbit Hole, Klassifest, Shoeless Festival, Pop-Kultur Festival Berlin, Theater Spektakel Zurich, TEDx and Uitmarkt Amsterdam. They are also frequent guests at major (international) live radio and television shows including Spiegelzaal, Podium Witteman and ARTE.
Alma Quartet has collaborated with diverse artists such as Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Lisa Batiashvili, Denis Kozhukhin, Philip Glass, Hauschka, Henrik Schwarz, Dauwd, New Cool Collective, Mees Dierdorp, Nicolas van Poucke, Dominic Seldis, Alexander Bedenko, Saeunn Thorsteinsdottir, Nino Gvetadze, Aidan Mikdad, Jorinde Keesmaat and Frank Lammers.
