Musikfest Prize 2026 goes to the Quatuor Ebène

The French Quatuor Ebène will receive the 2026 Bremen Musikfest Prize. Since 1998, the festival has awarded this non-cash prize annually to outstanding soloists, ensembles, orchestras and conductors who have made their mark on the international music scene through their exceptional artistic achievements and who helped shape the profile of the festival. Previous laureates include Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Jessye Norman, Marc Minkowski, Hélène Grimaud, Janine Jansen, Rolando Villazón, Philippe Herreweghe, Martin Grubinger and, most recently, Hervé Niquet.

»Since their Musikfest debut in 2007, followed by concerts in Bremen, Bremerhaven, Oldenburg, Sögel, Sottrum, Apen and Worpswede, the Quatuor Ebène has consistently demonstrated why it has been one of the world's leading string quartets for over two decades. No other quartet has performed at Musikfest more frequently in recent years. Exceptional technical and interpretative skill, coupled with an almost telepathic understanding among its members, is paired with a captivating, passionate and refreshing approach that reveals new and unexpected facets, even in well-known works from the string quartet repertoire. This year’s Beethoven cycle, in which the ensemble will perform all 16 quartets from the composer’s early, middle and late periods over six evenings in the Small Auditorium of the Glocke during the first week of the festival, will be the crowning achievement of the Quatuor Ebène's work at the Musikfest to date,« the jury explained its decision.

The Musikfest Prize will be presented to the Quatuor Ebène after the final concert of the Beethoven cycle at a private reception on Sunday 23 August in the Small Auditorium of the »Glocke«.