NORTH SEA STRING QUARTET

Hello everyone!

We’re back to share some news with you!

Academy of Improvising Strings

We are looking back on a successful first edition of the Academy of Improvising Strings last May, with 27 string players from all over the world. It was quite something organizing this, together with Tim Kliphuis, for the first time, and we are very excited it has been such a creative and positive weekend with jams and workshops throughout. We hope to have given a new impulse to (beginning and advanced) improvisors and teachers to incorporate improvisation in their work.

What a great weekend!

The 2020 edition is in the making, dates to be announced soon, so if you are interested in signing up, please keep an eye on the website: www.improvisingstrings.com 

Tim Kliphuis’ book ‘Improvising for Strings’ (the teacher groups worked with it during the weekend) is available here: https://www.timkliphuis.com/music-shop/improvisation-for-strings

Rudolstadt

Acoustic and summer electric clothing 😉

The summer kicked off in Germany, with the three day Festival Rudolstadt, Germany’s biggest world music festival with about 90.000 visitors every year. What a groovy, friendly festival with a variety of bands and artists. Besides our scheduled concerts – where we got to inaugurate the town’s renovated concert hall – we had fun busking on the streets for so many folk music lovers.  

Mario Forte

Mario Forte at Zbigniew Seifert Jazz Violin Competition

After that, we left to southern France to play with Mario Forte, a New York based violinist and composer and winner of last year’s Seifert Competition. Apart from his own creative projects in jazz and contemporary improvised music, he works alongside greats such as John Zorn and Richard Bona. Together we took the time to explore new ways of approaching our repertoire and developing artistic direction, as well as working on groove and energy. This resulted in three experimental concerts where literally anything could happen. It has been an intense and fruitful experience for all of us and we are happy and grateful to Mario for working with us.

Lilian Vieira

With Lilian Vieira at Het Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

Another exciting collaboration you might have already noticed, is the one with singer Lílian Vieira, which came to fruition in two sold out shows in the Concertgebouw last week. If you missed it, make sure you follow us on our social channels, where we are releasing several video clips with her. This is our take on ‘O Pato’, by João Gilberto. and below, Nuvem Negra by Djavan.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KpPfTRI8OK0

If you want to see this project live: September 21st we play in the September Me Festival in Amersfoort. There is a very interesting line-up for the string quartet addicts among us, because also the wonderful Ragazze Quartet and Matangi Quartet will be playing there. 

Upcoming

We are taking time to compose and arrange new music at the moment, which will be recorded later this year. Exciting concerts are coming up, at one of which we will perform an exciting version of Bach’s third Brandenburg Concerto with string orchestra. Be sure to keep an eye on our agenda! In the meantime, if you have any ideas, suggestions, places to play or if you want to support us in any way, let us know.

Have a beautiful autumn!  

Videos

Info

Youtube URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJ4iPWDvY74

One of our tightest tunes that we ever released, composed by our talented violinist, George Dumitriu! We would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the wonderful audience that surrounded us and filled the atmosphere with their incredible energy.

Recorded at Batavierhuis on May 13, 2023 Special thanks to all the Batavierhuis crew.

Camera and editing by Felipe Pipi. 2nd Camera by Tijmen de Vries Sound mixing by Pablo Rodríguez.

Tour Dates

April 6, 2024

North Sea String Quartet

Muziek Podium Zeeland

Ellemeet

The Netherlands

May 10, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

LantarenVenster

Rotterdam

The Netherlands

May 11, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Plus Etage

Baarle-Nassau

The Netherlands

May 23, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Pletterij

Haarlem

The Netherlands

May 24, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Cultuurschip Thor

Zwolle

The Netherlands

May 25, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Paradox

Tilburg

The Netherlands

May 26, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Willem II Toonzaal

Den Bosch

The Netherlands

May 31, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Theater De Regentes

Den Haag

The Netherlands

June 1, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Het Drakenhuis

Zelhem

The Netherlands

+ Tickets

June 2, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

The Sound of Violin Festival

Leuven

Belgium

June 5, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Brouwerij Martinus

Groningen

The Netherlands

June 6, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Brebl

Nijmegen

The Netherlands

June 8, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

TivoliVredenburg

Utrecht

The Netherlands

June 13, 2024

Album Release Tour: Splunge

Bimhuis

Amsterdam

The Netherlands