Ebene Quartet

About

The Ébène Quartet, also known as Quatuor Ébène, is a French string quartet hailing from Boulogne-Billancourt, France. Established in 1999 at the Boulogne-Billancourt Conservatory, the quartet swiftly gained international recognition by winning multiple prizes at the ARD International Music Competition in 2004, including the prestigious first prize in the string quartet category and the Audience Prize. Subsequent accolades followed, including the Belmont Prize from the Forberg-Schneider Foundation. Their 2006 live recording of Haydn quartets garnered critical acclaim, setting the stage for further success. Praised for their exceptional performances, Quatuor Ébène was named "Newcomer of the Year" by BBC Music Magazine in 2009 and received the Recording of the Year title at the 2009 Classic FM Gramophone Awards for their Ravel, Fauré, and Debussy quartets. Further honors, including Ensemble of the Year at the Victoires de la Musique Classique in 2010, solidified their reputation as a remarkable and accomplished quartet. NPR also lauded their album "Fiction," naming it among their top 50 favorite albums of 2011, praising the quartet's expressive finesse and velvety smoothness in performance.