Quatuor Akilone

The Akilone Quartet is the fruit of a musical and human adventure born in 2011 in Paris. An elegant playing, a generous sound and a lively spirit animate this ensemble and bring poetry and depth to it. Four people, four characters and four different thoughts to form one instrument with 16 strings... and 40 fingers! The impossible becomes real when listening, perseverance and a flexible rigour are at the service of the imagination.

The meeting with Hatto Beyerle, with whom the musicians continue to exchange, has proved fundamental in the evolution of the quartet; his philosophical and rhetorical vision of music now allows them to grow while pursuing their interrogations. Eminent chamber musicians such as Vladimir Mendelssohn, Johannes Meissl, Xavier Gagnepain, Miguel Da Silva, the Quatuor Ebène and Mathieu Herzog have also guided the musicians and continue to support them. The ECMA, of which they are alumni members, was also a fabulous learning ground.

Strengthened by these fabulous encounters and after a semester of Erasmus exchange in Vienna, the Akilone Quartet won the First Grand Prize of the 8th Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition and the ProQuartet prize in May 2016. Since then, the quartet has travelled to Japan and has performed in some of Europe's most prestigious venues such as the Wigmore Hall in London and the Muziekgebouw in Amsterdam. Designated Génération Spedidam and laureate of the Fondation Banque Populaire, the young ensemble is also a member of ProQuartet and is part of the project Le Dimore del Quartetto.

In 2018, the Quartet signed its first recording devoted to Haydn, Mozart and Schubert, under the Mirare label and in 2019, the documentary film. A quatre ou rien is directed by Chloé Perlemuter about the quartet, with the participation of Hatto Beyerle and Mathieu Herzog.

Sharing the stage with other musicians is essential for this young quartet, which has already had the chance to play with Vladimir Mendelssohn, Tabea Zimmermann, Jérôme Pernoo, David Walter, Sharon Kam, Pavel Gililov and Jean-François Heisser. With each musician he meets, it is an immense joy in the exchange that keeps the mind open.

Well anchored in its time and thanks to its collaboration with the associations Musethica and Concerts de Poche, the Akilone Quartet is musically committed to prisoners, refugees, or people with disabilities. This approach is fundamental for these young musicians, for whom the link forged with various audiences is vital. They are guided by a common thread: to allow all those who wish to escape for a moment into a poetic and liberating world of sound.

Magdalena Geka, violin I
Elise De-Bendelac, violin II
Perrine Guillemot, viola
Lucie Mercat, cello

May 2022