Absalon String Quartet is a young Nordic ensemble with members from Denmark, Sweden and Norway based together in Copenhagen.

As a group, they are known for their emotional interpretations, passionate interplay, and personal and immediate approach to the music. Founded by the two violinists Thera and Andreas during the 2020 Corona lockdown, the quartet quickly gained recognition in Denmark by winning the first edition of the Rued Langgaard Competition in 2021. In 2023, violist Alva joined the quartet, and they reached their next milestone by winning the prestigious Danish Radio Chamber Music Competition. Here, they also became an audience favourite and established themselves as one of the country’s most promising young chamber music groups with their warm sound and intense, courageous musical expression. Shortly thereafter, they received the Léonie Sonning Talent Prize. Cellist Hedda joined the quartet in 2024, and since then they have performed in many of Denmark’s major concert halls, been broadcast several times by Danish radio and television, and collaborated with some of Scandinavia’s finest musicians across several genres. They have also played for audiences in France, Italy, Germany, Sweden, and Norway, and participated in numerous festivals and courses, leading to their latest success at the Trondheim International Chamber Music Competition 2025, where they won the 2nd Prize and the Audience Prize. The quartet is passionate about making high-level chamber music available and exciting for all sorts of audiences, and they make continuous efforts to find new places and ways to share their music, while also broadening their repertoire.

The journey started in København, and this is also where the name comes from; Absalon played a big part in the founding of Copenhagen back in the early days. ASQ is currently enrolled in a 2-year chamber music master program at the Robert Schumann Hochschule in Düsseldorf with prof. Eckart Runge (Artemis Quartett). They have also received regular coaching from prof. Tim Frederiksen and members of the Danish String Quartet at the Royal Danish Academy of Music. Additionally, the quartet have participated in many masterclasses across Europe, with organisations such as Jeunesses Musicales Deutschland, ECMA and ProQuartet – among others they’ve enjoyed lessons from Günter Pichler, Heime Müller, Hélène Clement, Eugene Drucker, David Harrington, as well as with renowned composers Missy Mazzoli and Jessie Montgomery.