Rewilding the String Quartet: Harmonising with Nature
Training | April 15, 2026
by Yasmin Hilberdink, Artistic Director of the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam
We’re proud and excited that the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam (SQBA) is once again partnering with the MERITA Platform. This second collaboration means a great deal to us, as it allows us to meaningfully connect our SQBA Residency to the MERITA training programme.
As part of this, we’re working with seven exceptionally talented young string quartets from across Europe, all of whom will participate in the MERITAcubed programme. For their online and on-site training, SQBA has developed a dedicated programme around our artistic focus. Alongside this shared trajectory, two of the seven quartets will also take part in the in-depth SQBA Residency programme.
Our MERITAcubed theme is “Harmonising with Nature“, a topic that resonates deeply with our mission and reflects the core values at the heart of our organisation.
Since 2018, the String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam has grown into an international hub for the string quartet: a place where leading ensembles, creative minds, composers and an inquisitive audience come together. With eight full days of concerts, masterclasses, lectures and talks, and a line-up of more than 30 string quartets from around the world, it is the largest string quartet festival in the world. The 6th edition will take place from 29 January to 5 February 2028.
The festival is both a breeding ground and a driving force for new generations of quartets, composers and creators who are redefining the genre through their own distinct perspectives. This vision has evolved into a vibrant ecosystem that extends beyond performance, embracing artistic development, innovation, reflection and the sharing of knowledge.
At the heart of this ecosystem lies the SQBA Residency. While the biennial festival offers a dynamic platform that brings artistic initiatives into the spotlight, the four-week residency provides something equally vital: time and space. Here, artists can step away from the immediate demands of production and performance and immerse themselves in a process of deep artistic growth.
All seven quartets follow a shared MERITAcubed trajectory shaped by our vision of Rewilding the String Quartet, an approach that opens space for curiosity, imagination and a renewed connection to artistic purpose. Rather than focusing on refinement alone, we invite them to reconnect with their intrinsic motivations, question conventions, and explore new ways of making and sharing music. Through dialogue with experienced musicians and other professionals, participants reflect on their internal dynamics, artistic identity and position within the field.
“Harmonising with Nature“will resonate differently with every quartet that engages with it. Rather than guiding them toward a single outcome, we embrace this diversity, encouraging each ensemble to ask its own questions, follow its own path and discover its own answers.
The training centres on the intersection of music, nature and environmental awareness, while also exploring what a more sustainable future for the chamber music field might look like. Participants engage with a carefully curated repertoire inspired by the natural world, experiment with the integration of natural sounds, and collaborate with contemporary composers, multidisciplinary artists and forward-thinking creative practices.
Working on “Harmonising with Nature“, in unique locations and historic houses and gardens adds another layer to this journey. These environments, rich in history and atmosphere, will undoubtedly inspire and shape the artistic development of the young musicians.
We would also like to share the aftermovie of our previous SQBA Residency. We hope you enjoy watching.
https://youtu.be/t4PMjywFLJI?si=KOc7tEvukvCyFWQk
In the photo: Karski Quartet
Photo credits: Juri Hiensch