Akhtamar

Biography

Akhtamar, an Armenian legend. The name of the quartet is a reference to the Armenian Miniatures by Komitas/Aslamazyan, which the ensemble has performed with passion since its foundation.

Formed in Brussels in 2014, the ensemble was one of the six quartets selected for the “tremplins jeunes quatuors” of Paris’ Philharmonie in 2016 and in the same year won the second prize in the Musiq’3 festival. In 2021, the quartet won third prize in the International Johannes Brahms Competition.

The Akhtamar Quartet performs in prestigious concert halls and festivals all around Europe: Radio France Festival in Montpellier, the Concertgebouw in Bruges (Be), the MonteLeón Festival (Sp), as well as venues in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, the Baltic States… and of course in Armenia. In 2024, the quartet is invited to perform in Brazil (Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Salvador) and the United States (California, Oregon).

In 2020, the quartet released its first CD: “légende arménienne”. The label Cypres Records produced the recording of Komitas’ miniatures and “un quatuor arménien” by Eugénie Alécian, dedicated to the Akhtamar quartet. Regularly broadcast on national radios (Musiq’3, France Musique, SWR2 in Germany…), “légende arménienne” has been awarded four stars by the prestigious BBC Music Magazine and Classica Magazine, four “diapasons” in Diapason Magazine, a silver medal from the Global Music Award and is one of the five nominees in the classical music category of the Octaves de la Musique 2021.

In April 2023, “Enluminures”, their second album, is released by Cypres, revolving around Claude Debussy and the composer Judith Adler de Oliveira.

The Akhtamar Quartet is very keen on working with contemporary composers. Several composers such as Roger Boutry, Eugénie Alécian, Jan Kuijken and Judith Adler de Oliveira have asked the musicians to interpret and record their works.

The quartet attaches great importance to bringing classical music everywhere and to everyone. They have several sets which they perform in establishments like schools, hospitals, homes and psychiatric institutes. These solidarity concerts have won recognition since “The Dream Makers” (a show for young audiences) and “Freestyle Classics” (a creation combining hip-hop dance and string quartet) were prizewinners at the YAM Awards (Young Audiences Music Awards) in 2021 and 2023 respectively.

The quartet has received substantial support for their solidarity projects such as “Music 4 Armenia” – a 20 concert tour with free entrances in Armenia that took place in the fall of 2020, after the war. “Harmonies of Dreams” is a concert series for patients in psychiatric hospitals in Belgium created in collaboration with healthcare professionals and “Music 4 Lebanon” in September 2022.

The Akhtamar quartet was part of “ProQuartet” before joining the ECMA. They have the privilege of attending courses at the “Joseph Haydn Institut” at the University of Music in Vienna.

The Akhtamar Quartet is supported by the Fédération Wallonie-Bruxelles, Wallonie Bruxelles International, the Concertgebouw Bruges, Le Dimore del Quartetto, the Boghossian Foundation, the Centre National de Musique, the Spedidam and Merita.

FIRST VIOLIN

Coline Alecian

Coline studied in Paris with Dominique Juchors, then at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels. She perfected her playing with Stephan Picard in Berlin.

Coline is the founding member of the quartet and comes from a family of musicians. Her Armenian origins formed the initial tie between the group and Armenia, a country rich in musical heritage. Devoted to the continuous development of the quartet, her ideas for Akhtamar continue to proliferate together with the nuances of her sound.

She plays a Neapolitan violin, made around 1890 by Giovanni Pistucci.

SECOND VIOLIN

Jennifer Pio

Jennifer first studied the violin at the Conservatory of Colmar and then at the Royal Conservatoire of Brussels.

Jennifer joined the quartet in 2016. She quickly embraced the project Akhtamar in its entirety, managing program notes and applications together with delighting in the role of second violinist of a string quartet. Passionate about literature, she weaves her musical interpretations like a novelist weaves a storyline.

She plays a Dom Nicolò Amati, made in Bologna in 1731.

VIOLA

Cléo Dahan

Cléo, a talented violist from the very beginning, is constantly adding new strings to her musical bow: she studied viola and violin at the Conservatoire Royal de Bruxelles, graduated from the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Paris with prizes for harmony, counterpoint and fugue in the class of composer Thierry Escaich, as well as taking conducting lessons.

She puts all these skills to good use in her chamber music career, which remains her first passion. She performs in numerous ensembles across Europe (Ensemble Ataneres, Bryggen, Ensemble Marolles…)

In 2024, she became the violist of the Akhtamar Quartet, bringing a new harmonic depth to the ensemble.

She plays a 2024 viola by Aymeric Guillard.

CELLO

Cyril Simon

Cyril studied in Paris with Frédéric Borsarello and further improved from Marie Hallynck’s teaching in the Royal Conservatory of Brussels.

Passionate about chamber music, he is a founding member of the TetraCelli cello quartet. Alongside his career as a chamber musician, Cyril passes on his passion by teaching in Belgian music schools. With these students, he created an amateur cello ensemble: Les Encordés.

Cyril joined the Akhtamar Quartet in 2019.

He plays a 1924 cello by François Vial.

Videos

Official photos

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© Nicolas Draps

In the press

“The Akhtamar quartet favors tenderness and melancholy. By its lightness and its sophistication (…) this chamber music interpretation is defined by its intimate and sometimes naive character.”

“Exquisite, charming, and powerful, at the same time. Bravo! for this young Belgians of the highest level! A perfect closing concert for an exceptional edition!”

“The sparkly and talented Akhtamar quartet is off to a flying start!”

↓ CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR PRESS CLIPPINGS ↓

2023

Show (radio) – Radio France (27’35”) – November 2023 – FR
Show (tv) – Musiq3 – October 2023 – FR
Article – DNA – September 2023 – FR
Article – Fono Forum – August 2023 – DE
Article – Larsen – May 2023 – FR
Article – Armenews – May 2023 – FR
Article – L’Echo – April 2023 – FR
Show – BX1 – April 2023 – FR
Show – BRF Radio – March 2023 – DE
Show (radio) – Nporadio4 – March 2023 – NL

2022

Show (tv) – Musiq3 – September 2022 – FR
Article – Ici Beyrouth – September 2022 – FR
Article – Armenian Mirror Spectator – September 2022 – EN
Article – Agenda culturel from Lebanon – August 2022 – FR
Article – France Arménie – July 2022 – FR
Article – Le Point commun – February 2022 – FR

2021

Article – Zindering festival – December 2021 – NL
Article – Classica – September 2021 – FR
Article – La Lettre – July 2021 – FR
Article – France Arménie – July 2021 – FR
Show (radio) – France Musique – June 2021 – FR
Show (tv) – Առաջին Ծրագիր – June 2021 – AM
Show (tv) – Tsayg – June 2021 – AM
Article – Armenian Mirror Spectator – June 2021 – EN
Article – Galatv – June 2021 – AM
Article – Iragir – June 2021 – AM
Article – LaLibre – June 2021 – FR
Show (radio) – Musiq3 – April 2021 – FR
Show (radio) – Radio Arménie – April 2021 – FR
Article – Alakyaz – April 2021 – FR
Article – Armenews – April 2021 – FR
Article – RTBF – March 2021 – FR

2020

Article – RTBF – November 2020 – FR
Article – Nouvelles d’Arménie Magazine – November 2020 – FR
Article – Diapason– September 2020 – FR
Article – Mfa – September 2020 – AM
Article – Point culture – September 2020 – FR
Article – DNA – September 2020 – FR
Article – Cultuurpakt – August 2020 – NL
Show (radio) – Musiq3 – July 2020 – FR
Article – BBC Music Magazine – May 2020 – EN
Article – Larsen – FR – May 2020 – FR
Article – MusicWeb International – April 2020 -EN
Show (radio) (1:16:50) – SWR2 – March 2020 – DE
Show (tv) – LRT – March 2020 – LIT
Article – musicalifeiten – February 2020 – NL
Article – RTBF – January 2020 – FR

2019

Show (tv) – Festival Monteleón – December 2019 – ES
Article – Nouvelle République – November 2019 – FR
Show (tv) – Babel Café – April 2019 – BE

2018

Show (radio) (30′) – France Musique – November 2018 – FR
Show (tv) (2’15 ») – BFM TV – September 2018 – FR
Article – Le dauphine – August 2018 – FR
Article – Ancy-Le-Franc – June 2018 – FR
Article – Les Colibris – May 2018 – BE
Article – Le dauphine – April 2018 – FR

2017

Article – Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace – December 2017 – FR
Article – Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace – December 2017 – FR
Article – l’Alsace – December 2017 – FR
Article – DAAC – October 2017 – FR
Article – l’Alsace – August 2017 – FR
Show (radio) – France Culture – July 2017 – FR
Article – Festival Radio France Montpellier St-Georges d’Orques – July 2017 – FR
Article – Festival Radio France Montpellier Vendargues – July 2017 – FR
Article – Krant van West-Vlaanderen – May 2017 – NL
Article – Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace – April 2017 – FR
Article – Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace – April 2017 – FR
Article – Ophicléide – April 2017 – FR

2016

Article – Tagblatt – June 2016 – DE
Article – Dernières Nouvelles d’Alsace – March 2016 – FR

2015

Article – Sud info – December 2015 – BE

2014

Show (radio) – Musiq’3 – November 2014 – BE