The critically acclaimed, prizewinning Danish String Quartet, appearing at Hodgson Concert Hall on April 19 at 7:30 p.m., is not a standard classical music group.
Here’s how they describe themselves: “We are three Danes and one Norwegian cellist, making this a truly Scandinavian endeavor. Being relatively bearded, we are often compared to the Vikings. However, we are only pillaging the English coastline occasionally.”
Between incursions, the Grammy-nominated Danish String Quartet plays a standard repertoire, new music and their own folk song transcriptions.
“Our idea is to marry these two simple but powerful things: the folk music and the string quartet,” the group said. “Normally, the string quartet has been reserved for the classical masters. Now, we want to see what happens when we let the Nordic folk music flow through the wooden instruments of the string quartet.”
Celebrated for their “intense blend, extreme dynamic variation (in which they seem glued together), perfect intonation even on harmonics, and constant vitality and flow” (Gramophone) and renowned for the palpable joy they exude in music-making, the Danish String Quartet has become one of today’s most in-demand classical quartets, performing to sold-out concert halls around the world.
The Danish Quartet celebrated their 20th anniversary in 2022-2023, having formed when violinists Frederik Øland and Rune Tonsgaard Sørenson and violist Asbjørn Nørgaard were teenagers under the mentorship of Tim Frederiksen of Copenhagen’s Royal Danish Academy of Music. In 2008, the three Danes were joined by Norwegian cellist Fredrik Schøyen Sjölin.
The Danish Quartet’s inventive and intriguing programming and repertoire choices have produced critically acclaimed original projects and commissions. This season, the quartet will complete its DOPPELGÄNGER series, an ambitious four-year international commissioning project that pairs world premieres from four composers—Bent Sørensen, Lotta Wennäkoski, Anna Thorvaldsdottir, and Thomas Adès—with late major chamber works by Schubert.
Audience members can enjoy a pre-performance talk by Theresa Chafin in Ramsey Concert Hall from 6:45-7:15 p.m.
This performance is supported by Caroline D. Strobel, Sandy Strother Hudson and Cecil C. Hudson, and Charlie and Teresa Friedlander.
Three ways to get tickets
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
Single tickets begin at $25, and UGA student tickets are just $10. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.