“They are first-rate instrumentalists, communicative performers of great musicality, and they have a fine sense of style.”
Walter Levin
The Rubens Consort is a flexible ensemble made up of world-class musicians who share friendship and a passion for chamber music. Rooted in the rich and refined tradition of the former Rubens Quartet, the leaders of the Consort interpret masterpieces for small an
d large ensembles from all periods in music history. Each of the individual musicians, who studied in renowned conservatories across the US and Europe and are now active as international performers, bring their own experiences and influences to the group. After 16 remarkable seasons, the members of the Rubens Quartet decided to end their intensive career as a string quartet in 2016. The musicians look back on these years with feelings of fulfillment and gratitude; they could not have wished for a better schooling in the art of making chamber music. Their capacity for playing in various combinations -- one of the strengths of the Rubens Quartet -- has become a defining characteristic for the Rubens Consort. This conscious choice for variety programming also caters well to the wishes and possibilities of today's chamber music venues. The Rubens Consort is also active in educational projects, such as The art of perception: the perception of art (workshops for Dutch high school students) and the Rubens Consort Chamber Music Lab, in collaboration with the Prinses Christina Competition. The Rubens Quartet studied three years full-time at the Dutch String Quartet Academy and then continued on to the Hanns Eisler Hochschule in Berlin, where it graduated cm laude in 2007. During its studies, the quartet had the honor of working intensely with internationally renowned chamber musicians, such as members of the Amadeus, Juilliard and Hagen Quartets. The quartet has won prizes in national and international string quartet competitions. It has also released two critically acclaimed CDs on its own RQ label: the composer portait Rondom Roukens and an album of the complete Mozart Flute Quartets with flutist Marieke Schneemann. The musicians of the Rubens Consort gratefully play on instruments on loan to them from the Dutch Music Instrument Foundation.
