Since its establishment in 2002 the Stenhammar Quartet has established itself as
one of Scandinavia’s foremost string quartets. The works of Wilhelm Stenhammar
naturally play a central part in the ensemble’s programmes, but much attention is
also paid to the Viennese Classical repertoire and to contemporary music. The Quar -
tet regularly commissions works from Nordic composers such as Sven-David Sand -
ström and Bent Sørensen, and has also been the dedicatee and given the first per -
formances of works by composers from the USA and Great Britain.
The Stenhammar Quartet has recorded some forty works for Swedish Radio and,
in 2011, participated in a concert series featuring all of Stenhammar’s chamber
music, recorded by Swedish Radio. For its previous recordings, the ensemble has
received a nomination for the Swedish ‘Grammis’ Awards as well as critical acclaim
from reviewers both in Sweden and internationally (‘The Stenhammar Quartet play
with articulate communicative devotion and emotional precision throughout’ –
MusicWeb International).
The Stenhammar Quartet has been the subject of a documentary by the French
music channel Mezzo. In 2009 the ensemble was commended by the Royal Swedish
Academy of Music for its contributions to Swedish music, and in the same year it
made its London début, which led to a repeat invitation. The Quartet has taken part
in festivals in countries including Poland, Denmark and Algeria and in recent years
has also appeared on Swedish television.
