Quatuor Agate to Perform at Insel Hombroich

The internationally acclaimed French string quartet, Quatuor Agate, winner of the ECHO Rising Stars 2024/2025 program, will perform at the House for Musicians on the Insel Hombroich. The quartet, comprised of Adrien Jurkovic (violin), Thomas Descamps (violin), Raphaël Pagnon (viola), and Simon Iachemet (cello), will present a diverse program of six pieces.

Program Details

The performance will begin with Carlo Gesualdo’s “Canzon Francese del Principe,” followed by Ethel Smyth’s “The Prison No. 9 and the String Quartet in C minor.” The program continues with Alexandre Aliabiev’s String Quartet No. 3 in G major, “The Nightingale,” and Dmitri Shostakovich’s String Quartet No. 8 in C minor. Following an intermission, the quartet will perform Ludwig van Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 9 in C major.

About Quatuor Agate

Formed in 2016, Quatuor Agate derives its name from Johannes Brahms’s Second Sextet, dedicated to Agathe von Siebold. The quartet released their debut album featuring the complete String Quartets in February 2024, under the Appassionato label. They founded the CorsiClassic festival in Ajaccio, Corsica, dedicated to bringing chamber music to diverse audiences.

Quatuor Agate has been recognized in several international competitions and festivals, including winning the Best Contemporary Interpretation Prize at the BANFF International String Quartet Competition in 2022 and the Audience Prize at the Steels-Wilsing Competition in 2020. In 2021, they won the auditions of the Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in London.

In 2023, Quatuor Agate was honored as ECHO Rising Stars 2024/25, leading to performances at major European concert halls, including the Philharmonie de Paris, Kölner Philharmonie, and Konzerthaus Dortmund. They also debuted at Leif Ove Andsnes’ Rosendal Chamber Music Festival in Norway and returned to the Wigmore Hall in London.

Ticket Information

Admission to the concert is free, but attendees are asked to obtain a free ticket in advance from the Insel Hombroich Foundation’s online shop for planning purposes.