Heiðrun Petersen, violin I 

Mads Haugsted Hansen, violin II 

Daniel Eklund, viola

Lea Emilie Brøndal, cello

Nordic String Quartet was formed in 2013 and consists of  Heiðrun Petersen (Faroe Islands), Mads Haugsted Hansen (Denmark), Daniel Eklund (Sweden) and Lea Emilie Brøndal (Denmark).

In a few years, the quartet has already made its mark on the Danish music scene. They have performed both inside and outside Scandinavia’s borders, and have collaborated with a number of internationally renowned musicians.

In November 2019 they debuted at the Royal Danish Academy of Music’s soloist class, where they studied with Professor Tim Frederiksen.

In the autumn of 2016, the quartet started a recording project with Pelle Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s complete string quartets in collaboration with the record company Dacapo. The first CD with the string quartets 1-6 was released on February 19 2019, and was warmly reviewed by a number of music magazines. The CD was elected to be among the best classical releases in 2019 by the Danish newsletter Politiken, and won a prize given by the Danish radio channel P2 “Album of the year, new classical”. Nordic String Quartet loves to present Gudmundsen-Holmgreen’s music at their concerts.

Also Danish Nancy Dalberg’s complete and – until then – quite unknown string quartets, were released in collaboration with Dacapo in 2019. A project that has finally brought the female composer’s music into the light. The English MusicWeb International has put the CD on their list of “Recording of the year” and this CD was nominated for the “P2 Listener Award 2020”.

Together with the Messian Quartet Copenhagen, Trio Amerise and Dahlia String Trio, the Nordic String Quartet has been involved in running the Østerbro Concert Association since 2016. An unusual music association that bridges the various chamber music constellations, and which constantly strives to convey musical experiences in eye level with the audience.

The Nordic String Quartet has a special love for the Nordic composers, and it is uncommon to find a concert where they have not put a Nordic work on the program. Not only the older, world-famous composers, such as Grieg and Sibelius, live in their beating quartet hearts, but living, upcoming composers such as Martin Stauning and Andrea Tarrodi have also visited the Quartet rehearsal room. It does not mean that the quartet does not enjoy diving into German Beethoven, Russian Shostakovich and French Ravel’s fantastic music – no, as the Nordic quartet, they just feel particularly obliged to convey all the Nordic quartet gold we have up here.

Nordic String Quartet is the recipient of Odd Fellow Logernes Music Prize, Léonie Sonning’s Talent Prize and Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen’s Grant.