Rubens Quartet
Sarah Kapustin - violin
Tali Goldberg- violin
Roeland Jagers - viola
Joachim Eijlander - cello
The Rubens Quartet – whose members come from the Netherlands, Israel and the US – has become one of the finest young quartets of its generation since being founded in 2000. The quartet has impressed audiences throughout its home country of the Netherlands and abroad, and is praised for its warm sound, remarkable sense of rhythm and harmony, and ability to communicate with an audience.
Through its rich knowledge of string quartet culture, the mission of the Rubens Quartet is to combine the old with the new, by interpreting lesser known works of the past and present and placing them alongside the great standards of the quartet repertoire. The quartet plays in dance choreographies, connects literature and music, and initiates music theatre performances. In its concert programs, the ensemble regularly pairs classic with contemporary (Haydn with Dutilleux, Shostakovich with Roukens), and is dedicated to promoting new music, having worked closely with such composers as György Kurtág, Louis Andriessen, and Sofia Gubaidulina.
The quartet is honored to collaborate regularly with the leading chamber musicians of our time, such as the Borodin Quartet, pianist Inon Barnatan, violist Vladimir Mendelssohn and clarinetist Karl Leister.
The Rubens Quartet studied for three years at the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA) in Amsterdam and finished its studies cum laude at the Hanns Eisler Hochschule in Berlin; during this time the quartet benefited from the guidance of world-renowned chamber music specialists, including György Kurtág and members of the Amadeus and Juilliard Quartets. The quartet was twice named quartet-in-residence at the Britten-Pears School in Aldeburgh (UK), has performed at the Gergiev Festival in Rotterdam, and appears regularly at the String Quartet Festival in Luberon (France) and at the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. The quartet holds top prizes from national and international string quartet competitions, and tours internationally.
Members of the quartet play on fine instruments from the collection of the Nationaal Muziekinstrumenten Fonds in Amsterdam. Click here to find out more about these special instruments.