Akela Quartet: Harmony Through Friendship, Mindfulness, and Music

Stories | July 10, 2025

While classical music is typically consigned to the old-fashioned concert halls and structures, the Copenhagen-based Akela Quartet is creating a new paradigm – one grounded in friendship, exploration, and a shared understanding that music is a portal to presence and wellness.

A Quartet Based on Connection

The Akela Quartet members: Oskar (cello), Gustav (violin), Kirsten (viola), and Clara (violin) have more in common than talented music. Their story is one of long-standing personal and musical connections, stretching back to childhood Suzuki Academy lessons, high school orchestras, and summer music camps. Although the path diverged for each member, their lives combined over the years until, four and a half years ago, they formally became the quartet during study at the academy in Copenhagen.

The COVID-19 pandemic’s sudden outbreak halted their planned concert tour on the very date of their first concert. Yet, it also became a watershed moment. The quartet chose to stay together and formed a bubble, rehearsing together in a home where music was their shared sanctuary. In those early lockdown months, the foundations of their artistic selves were laid.

Music as a Source of Joy

Their name, Akela, which is the Latin word for happiness, speaks well of their musical philosophy. For the quartet, success is measured not by fame, but by the joy they experience playing together. Rehearsals and performances with them are infused with laughter, trust, and commitment to making music enjoyable and worthwhile.

“We’re not trying to be spectacularly successful,” they mention. “We just want to have a good time doing what we love. That’s why we play music. To experience joy, and to share it.”

Combining Classical Music with Mindfulness

Their new project, created during a residency in a palace in Poland within the framework of the MERITA project, is a continuation of this philosophy. It’s a concert that combines classical music with meditation, relaxation, and sensory awareness. The intention is to give audiences a place to stop, breathe, and simply be present – something many of us long for in this chaotic world.

“We want to demonstrate how classical music can be an instrument of mindfulness,” Clara explains. “Not merely something you hear in a passive way, but something that allows you to reconnect with yourself.”

The concert is designed to appeal to more than a single sense. The audience is invited to slow down, taste mindfully, and listen closely. Transcending performances in out-of-the-way places like a lighthouse over the sea – the quartet seeks to heighten consciousness by altering the space, pushing listeners to hear music in fresh and unexpected ways.

Growing Together, Dreaming Forward

Although they have strong roots in Denmark, the Akela Quartet is branching out. With tours planned in China, a forthcoming recording of a new string quartet, and performances for kids and multicultural crowds, the quartet aims to make classical music accessible, inclusive, and emotionally engaging.

What they carry forward is not only an innovative concert model, but also a stronger sense of themselves as artists and as collaborators. Their residency has provided them with concrete skills for project creation and inspired them through the professionalism and dedication of their mentors.

“Our biggest takeaway,” says Gustav, “is the attitude toward creation. The care, the thoughtfulness, the detail. It’s something we want to bring into every project we do.”

An Invitation to Experience More

The Akela Quartet wishes that their tale is meaningful outside the concert hall. Whether you’re a lifelong classical music enthusiast or someone who finds comfort in the middle of chaos, they invite you to listen intently, be present now, and find the stillness that music can provide.

As they say at the end of their video: “Thanks a lot for listening to our story. We hope to see you and play for you in real life someday.”