…according to the review by SWR Kultur of the quartet’s debut album, released in spring 2025 on Genuin and featuring Mendelssohn’s String Quartet No. 6 Op. 80 and Dvořák’s String Quartet No. 13 Op. 106. The recording has been praised in the highest terms by the international press.

Their enormous stylistic range extends from works of the early Classical period to the latest compositions by living artists. Always in search of the greatest possible fidelity to the score, the four musicians immerse themselves in meticulous score study, approaching the text with deep curiosity.

The quartet’s current formation took shape during their joint studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Vienna, where they worked closely with their most important mentor, Johannes Meissl. The ensemble was originally founded in Shanghai, where Jensen Horn-Sin Lam supported the quartet from the very beginning. Other important mentors include Hatto Beyerle and Patrick Jüdt (European Chamber Music Academy/ECMA), as well as Günter Pichler and Gerhard Schulz (Alban Berg Quartet). In January 2026, Sueye Park took over the position previously held by Danfeng Shen, continuing the ensemble’s artistic direction.

The quartet has been awarded four first prizes at renowned chamber music competitions: the Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition (2019), Quatuor à Bordeaux (2019), the International Competition “Franz Schubert and Modern Music” (2018), and the 7th International Joseph Haydn Chamber Music Competition (2017).

In the 2021/22 season, the Simply Quartet was selected for the ECHO Rising Stars series, which led to debuts in Europe’s most important concert halls. The quartet is now a regular guest at venues such as Wigmore Hall, the Philharmonie Luxembourg, the Vienna Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie, BOZAR Brussels, and the Concertgebouw Amsterdam, as well as at renowned festivals such as the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg.

Beginning with the 2025/26 season, the Simply Quartet will share its own concert cycle, titled “string.”, with the Leonkoro Quartet at the Vienna Konzerthaus, continuing the venue’s long tradition of outstanding string quartet series.
Further engagements include performances at the Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, Salle Molière in Lyon, Amici della Musica in Florence, and the Mozarteum Salzburg.

First violinist Sueye Park plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (Milan, 1753), kindly provided by the Samsung Foundation of Culture.

Antonia Rankersberger plays a violin by Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (“ex Beare – ex Tetzlaff”, Turin, 1776), on loan from the Austrian National Bank.

Xiang Lyu plays a viola by Edgar Russ (2010).

Ivan Valentin Hollup Roald performs on a cello by Giovanni Battista Ceruti (1801), generously provided by a private donor.

2025/2026