Geir Inge Lotsberg, violin
Liv Hilde Klokk, violin
Magnus Boye Hansen, viola
Øystein Sonstad, cello
Oslo String Quartet was founded in 1991 by violinists Geir Inge Lotsberg and Per Kristian Skalstad, viola player Are Sandbakken, and cellist Øystein Sonstad. The four members each had wide experience from playing with other ensembles and orchestras at home and abroad, coming together to form an élite group for refined studies of the chamber music repertoire. In 2007 violinist Liv Hilde Klokk took over the position of second violin.
Solidly rooted in repertoire from the classical period to the present day, Oslo String Quartet has become one of Scandinavia’s most acclaimed and sought-after chamber ensembles. The group made their mark internationally when they achieved a place in the finals of the London International String Competition in 1994. At the same time their recording of Edvard Grieg’s complete string quartets was attracting attention abroad, and in 1999 the group’s recording of the complete string quartets of Carl Nielsen was selected as Editor’s Choice in the prestigious Gramophone magazine. From the very beginning Oslo String Quartet revealed a particular interest in new music, and they regularly commission and perform works by living composers. They have also been responsible for uncovering “hidden treasures” of the Norwegian quartet repertoire; works by Fartein Valen, Klaus Egge, Johan Kvandal, David Monrad Johansen and Knut Nystedt, among others.
As well as having been regular guests at all the major chamber music festivals in Norway for many years, Oslo String Quartet has been invited to major international events, including the Schleswig Holstein festival. The quartet has toured Germany and the rest of Europe and given regular performances at London’s Wigmore Hall. Their USA début in 2005, at Carnegie Hall in New York, is the highlight of their international career to date.
Photo: Andrej Grilc