Emma Purslow | Marike Kruup | Claire Newton | Jobine Siekman
Formed in the bustle of London in 2018, the Alkyona Quartet present fresh imaginative interpretations of both well-known and hidden gems of the string quartet repertoire. The quartet also revels in finding and championing scintillating but overlooked works. They love collaborations across the Arts and are often found presenting both string quartet and collaborative works in more unusual presentations.
Why 'Alkyona'? A question our audiences often ask us. We have a bird lover in our midst, Emma. 'Alkyona' or properly spelt 'AAkuóva' means 'Kingfisher' in Greek. All music makers can relate to the thrill of chasing the fleeting fulfilled musical moment, or the 'flash of blue' as the kingfisher streaks past. A rare sight, but a moment that stills time. One we hope you'll remember forever
“...attractive and intelligent programming, warm and convincing presentation and, above all, that sense of relaxed and balanced musicality which all chamber groups strive for.”
The Alkyona Quartet present fresh, imaginative interpretations of both well-known and hidden gems of the string quartet repertoire. They are well known for their warm connection to audiences and vivacious performances, and are ‘as vibrant and memorable as their ‘Kingfisher’ namesake’. They were Tunnell Trust Award Holders 20/21 and Making Music Selected Artists 21/22, and are the Royal College of Music String Quartet Fellows 2022/23 as well as holding a residency at Leighton House Museum in London.
They have performed in many leading UK venues including St Martin in the Fields, St John Smith Square and the Royal Albert Hall, as well as at many music societies both at home and abroad. They were New Generation Artists at the Stift International Music Festival 2019 and residents at Music at Brel the same year, as well as being featured at the Huygens Festival 2020 & 2021 which were broadcasted live on Dutch TV channel Midvliet.
The quartet love collaborations across the arts and this year hold a residency at Leighton House Museum, where they have been running events, concerts and salons both online and in person. They released their debut album, “Intimate Letters’ in June 2020 in collaboration with Cegin Productions. As a quartet they especially enjoy cross-collaborative projects, and have worked closely with Latin American band Quimantu, Tabla player Kuljit Bhamra MBE, actress Saskia Reeves, percussionist Adriano Adewale, composer Caroline Heslop and dance company the Dutch Don’t Dance Division. The quartet have studied with David Waterman, Simon Rowland-Jones, Richard Lester, Marc Danel, Ben Hancox, Rafael Todes, Catherine Manson, James Boyd and Mark Messenger. The quartet is mentored by Marc Danel of the Danel Quartet in Holland as part of the National String Quartet Academy, and took part in the European Chamber Music Academy 2020.
Outreach is an important part of their work and they are one of the ‘Young Professional’ quartets of Project String Quartet UK. Equally at home in education settings, the quartet have given masterclasses and side by side performances at numerous schools including Repton School, St Pauls Boy’s School, Oundle School and Ipswich School.
The quartet is grateful for sponsorship for their studies and projects to the RCM Director’s Fund; The Tunnell Trust; the Dutch National Music Instrument Foundation for the loan of Jobine’s C.18th Lefebvre cello and the Harrison-Frank Foundation for the loan of Emma’s 1713 Venetian violin.
