For nearly three decades, the quartet has captivated audiences with interpretations that cast familiar works in new light. Artistic excellence, paired with tonal flexibility and remarkable rhythmic precision, gives rise to concert experiences that linger long in the memory.

After studying with Quatuor Ysaÿe in Paris and with Gábor Takács, Eberhard Feltz and György Kurtág, Quatuor Ébène's unprecedented and outstanding victory at the ARD Music Competition in 2004 marked the beginning of its rise to prominence, leading to numerous further prizes and accolades. In 2005 the quartet received the Belmont Prize of the Forberg-Schneider Foundation, was a recipient of the Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award in 2007, and in 2019 became the first ensemble to be honored with the Frankfurt Music Trade Fair Prize. In August 2026, this was followed by the Musikfest Bremen Prize, awarded to outstanding international artists in recognition of their contribution to enriching and advancing international musical life.

In January 2021, the quartet was appointed by the Munich University of Music and Performing Arts to establish a string quartet class as part of the newly founded Quatuor Ébène Academy. Since the 21/22 season, the quartet, together with the Belcea Quartet, has been curating a concert series at the Vienna Konzerthaus. In the 23/24 season it was resident ensemble at the Philharmonie Luxembourg, and from 22/23 to 24/25 it held the post of quartet-in-residence at Radio France, with three concerts per season in Paris. In 2026, the four musicians are quartet-in-residence at the Beethovenfest Bonn.

Alongside traditional repertoire, the quartet regularly explores other musical genres, as the New York Times made note of in 2009: "A string quartet that can easily morph into a jazz band." What began in 1999 as a bit of fun for the four young musicians at university – improvising on jazz standards and pop songs – became Quatuor Ébène's trademark. To date, the quartet has released three albums in these genres: Fiction (2010), Brazil (2014) and Eternal Stories (2017). Their ease in blending different genres creates a dynamic energy that enriches all aspects of their artistic work — a versatility that has been warmly embraced by audiences and critics alike from the beginning.

Quatuor Ébène's albums featuring Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Haydn, Fauré and the Mendelssohn siblings have received much acclaim, including awards from Gramophone, BBC Music Magazine and the Midem Classic Award. In 2015 & 2016, the musicians dedicated themselves to the theme of the "Lied", seen through their collaboration with Philippe Jaroussky on the album Green (Mélodies françaises). For their Schubert album, they collaborated with Matthias Goerne (featuring Lied arrangements for string quartet, baritone, and double bass by Raphaël Merlin) and with Gautier Capuçon (for the String Quintet in C major, D 956). Together with Antoine Tamestit, Quatuor Ébène recorded Mozart's string quintets K. 515 and K. 516, released in spring 2023. The album was honored with awards such as Choc de Classica, Diapason d'Or, and Gramophone's Recording of the Month. In 2026, this was followed by an octet album (Enescu & Mendelssohn) with their colleagues from the Belcea Quartet, which has already been honored with the Opus Klassik.

A major milestone in their career was the complete recording of Beethoven's 16 string quartets. Between May 2019 and January 2020, the quartet recorded this cycle across six continents in a globe-spanning project. With this achievement, the four French musicians celebrated their 20th stage anniversary. This season once again places the Beethoven String Quartet Cycle at its center, with performances in Europe's great concert halls, such as the Berlin Philharmonie, in North America at Carnegie Hall in New York City, and in Asia at Suntory Hall in Tokyo, to name just a few. In addition, they appear jointly with the Belcea Quartet for several cycles, including at the Tonhalle Zurich, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Philharmonie Luxembourg.

Instruments

Pierre Colombet plays a 1717 Antonio Stradivari violin, the 'Piatti', kindly loaned to him by a generous sponsor through the Beares International Violin Society.

Gabriel Le Magadure plays a 1710 Antonio Stradivari violin, the 'King George', a generous loan from the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray.

Marie Chilemme plays a 1734 Antonio Stradivari viola, the 'Gibson', a generous loan from the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray.

Yuya Okamoto plays a 1698 Antonio Stradivari cello, the 'De Kermadec-Bläss', a generous loan from the Stradivari Stiftung Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray.

2026/2027