Concerts with Quator Ébène June 2025

Founded in 1999, the Quatuor Ébène is known for the virtuoso manner in which it straddles styles and genres. For its latest project, the adventurous string quartet has teamed up with two long-time musical friends: the harpist Catriona McKay and the fiddler Chris Stout, both embodying Scottish folk music in its vibrant and multi-faceted contemporary state. The program was developed and inspired by Fair Isle, the smallest, most remote and perhaps most beautiful of the Shetland Islands in Scotland’s high north, where the rugged, rocky landscape has shaped local culture and mentality. Together, the six musicians explore the sonic diversity of Scottish music, clothing existing melodies in new guises due to their typical yet atypical combination of instruments, and enriching it with new compositions of their own – a fascinating musical journey of discovery in which two sound worlds merge in music.