The
Signum Quartett has become distinguished for its performances of both mainstream and contemporary repertory. The group is often heard on radio broadcasts in Germany and Britain.
The
Signum Quartett (the English word Quartet is also used) was founded in 1994 and is based in Cologne. Since 2016, the members have been violinists
Florian Donderer and
Annette Walther, violist
Xandi van Dijk, and cellist Thomas Schmitz. The
Signum Quartett underwent intensive training with the
Alban Berg,
Artemis, and Melos Quartets, as well as studies in ensemble playing with pianists
Alfred Brendel and
Leon Fleisher, clarinetist/composer
Jörg Widmann, and others. The group won prizes at such competitions as the Deutscher Musikwettbewerb (2004) and the International Chamber Music Competition in Hamburg (2009), and from 2011 to 2013, it was designated a BBC New Generation Artist. The
Signum Quartett has performed at top European venues, including the Amsterdam Concertgebouw, the Philharmonie in Berlin, and the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn. Its plans for 2021 included a debut at Carnegie Hall in New York. The
Signum Quartett's chamber music partners have included pianists
Elisabeth Leonskaja and
Alexander Krichel, and cellist
Leonard Elschenbroich. The group often appears at festival events such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival, the Rheingau Music Festival, and the BBC Proms. It has been heard on major radio networks, including ORF in France, Deutschlandfunk, and the BBC.
The
Signum Quartett made its debut in 2010 on the Capriccio label with an album of
quartets by Romantic composer Ludwig Thuille. Both its concerts and its recordings have featured mainstream and contemporary repertory. The
Signum Quartett moved from Capriccio to PentaTone Classics for the 2018 release
Schubert: Aus der Ferne, featuring quartet arrangements of that composer's lieder. In 2020, the quartet was featured on Lost Prayers, an album of music by composer
Erkki-Sven Tüür.