Praised for their warm sound and powerful stage presence, the Esmé Quartet was formed in 2016 in Cologne, Germany by four Korean musicians who had been friends since their youth. They shared common interests and passions in music, the arts, and life. The Esmé Quartet brings together four brilliant and distinct musical personalities to form a cohesive, close-knit group that is passionately dedicated to the string quartet repertoire.
The Quartet rapidly gained a worldwide reputation as a chamber ensemble of exceptional artistry and achievement. In the 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.
HIihlights from 2024 include tours of Italy, Austria, US, Canada, and Australia, and performances of Adams’ “Absolute Jest” with the Tokyo Metropolitan Orchestra and John Adams conducting in Suntory Hall and Bunka Kaikan.
The Esmé Quartet’s first international album “To Be Loved” on Alpha Classics with works by Beethoven, Unsuk Chin, and Frank Bridge, was released in 2020 and was named one of the best classical CDs of the year by WQRX Public Radio in New York City. Their second CD “Yessori” Sound from the Past, also on Alpha Classics, of works by Mozart, Tchaikovsky, and Soo Yeon Lyuh was released in March 2023. In January this year, the quartet released an EP of Mendelssohn’s String Quartet Op. 13 exclusively for Apple Music Classical Sessions.
Passionate educators, the Esmé Quartet is on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. The Quartet has been mentored by artists such as Günter Pichler, Oliver Wille, Eberhard Feltz, Andràs Keller, Christoph Poppen, Jonathan Brown, and Heime Müller.
