Chamber music

As a string quartet, we find ourselves at the core of the classical music world. On a daily basis, we delve into works by great masters such as Beethoven and Mozart, but we also play the occasional folk music gig. Over the years we have been fortunate to study in many different places, in masterclasses with renowned teachers and have had opportunities to perform in major concert halls across the world.

The three of us met very early in our lives in the Danish countryside at a summer camp for enthusiastic amateur musicians. Not yet teenagers, we were the youngest players, so we hung out all the time playing football and chamber music together

www.danishquartet.com

Violin/Viola

Violinist and violist Yura Lee is an associate professor of practice and the Alice and Eleonore Schoenfeld Endowed Chair in String Instruction at the USC Thornton School of Music.

One of the most versatile artists in the world, she is one of the few musicians who has mastery of both violin and viola and actively performs both instruments equally. In her over two-decade-long career that has taken her all over the world, she has – both as a soloist and as a chamber musician – captivated audiences with music from baroque to modern.

Viola

Tim Frederiksen (b. 1955) was educated by Erling Bloch and Max Rostal and has subsequently studied chamber music with, among others, members of the Amadeus Quartet and Knud Frederiksen. Tim was the primarius of the former “Danish Quartet” who was active in the 80’s and 90’s.

In 1995, Tim was employed as a professor of viola and chamber music at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Here he has taught a number of ensembles that have not only played a major role in Danish chamber music life, but have also proven internationally sustainable in competitions and concert series.

Piano

Since 2008, Jens Elvekjær has taught principal study students in piano at RDAM, as well as students in the Advanced Postgraduate Diploma in Music (soloist) class – from 2012 as Associate Professor. As of 1 April 2020, he has been appointed Professor in piano and chamber music at RDAM.

As one of Scandinavia’s leading pianists, Jens has played concerts all over the world, in the past 20 years especially with his trio, Trio con Brio Copenhagen, with whom he has played almost 1,500 concerts.

Cello

Maria Kliegel, was described by Mstislav Rostropovich as La Cellissima, "The best cellist I have heard since Jacqueline du Pré".

The german cellist has won many first prizes in national and international cello competitions and has made appearances as a soloist across the world. With around 1 million CDs sold worldwide, Maria Kliegel is the market leader in the field of cello literature. Above all, she has made a name for herself through her untiring commitment to contemporary music, which includes world premieres and CD recordings of works by, among others, Alfred Schnittke and Sofia Gubaidulina as well as Wilhelm Kaiser-Lindemann's Hommage à Nelson Mandela. She has also been a jury member in many competitions and is known for her active involvement in music education. She constantly explores completely new paths for learning how to play the violoncello.

Former cellist and partner in Ulvemann & Børsting

Bastian Schneider has a Master of Science in Political Science from the University of Copenhagen, as well as a Bachelor's degree in music from the Royal Danish Academy of Music.

In 2015, he was named to Berlingske Tidende's Talent 100 list, nominated by former prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

As a former cellist, Bastian possesses a profound understanding of the classical music realm. In this course, he will deliver a lecture that explores the concept of identity as an artist, alongside the more commercially focused aspects of the music industry.

Cittern and violin / folk musician

Ale Carr was raised in a family of folk musicians, performing with the family band his whole life. This created a strong foundation for his musicianship in that music had always been about interaction and connection with friends and family as well as the exciting and meaningful link between the artist and the listener.

Ale particularly enjoys teaching -as he believes the essence of tradition is based on the sharing experiences and one’s cultural inheritance. Ale has wide experience in delivering workshops and music classes at festivals and concerts internationally, and has been teaching at the Malmö Academy of Music since 2011.

Ale will do a folk music workshop during the week.