Ensemble

Vita

The Kuss Quartet is renowned for its concept-oriented programming, in which recurring themes create a guiding thread. In this way, they offer distinctive listening experiences to both seasoned concertgoers and new audiences alike. Jana Kuss and Oliver Wille have been performing side by side for over 30 years; together with William Coleman and Mikayel Hakhnazaryan, they continually revisit the eternal question of the string quartet – “Must it be?” – with fresh curiosity.

The ensemble’s regular partners include Miklós Perényi, Dénes Várjon, Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Sarah Maria-Sun, Maurice Steger, and Johannes Fischer.

In collaboration with director Nicola Hümpel and NICO AND THE NAVIAGTORS, they created the cross-genre Beethoven project “Force & Freedom”, which premiered in 2021 at the Konzerthaus Dortmund and was later presented at the Schwetzinger SWR Festspiele and Radialsystem Berlin. The production was recorded by ARTE.

Thanks to support from the State of Lower Saxony and Musik 21, the quartet has commissioned numerous new works in recent years – including pieces by Enno Poppe, Aribert Reimann, Manfred Trojahn, Bruno Mantovani, Iris ter Schiphorst, Johannes Fischer, and Mark Andre – thereby significantly expanding the repertoire. These initiatives have led to collaborations with the Concertgebouw and Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, the Paris Biennale, Wigmore Hall in London, and Suntory Hall in Tokyo.

In the 2023/24 season, the quartet premiered Francisco Coll’s Codices in Basel, followed by performances in Amsterdam, Berlin, and Hanover. In January 2023, their album KRISE was released, exploring its theme through both classical quartet repertoire and newly commissioned works.

Alongside its concert activities, the Kuss Quartet passes on its expertise in numerous master classes. William Coleman and Oliver Wille hold professorships in Salzburg and Hanover/Birmingham, Mikayel Hakhnazaryan teaches chamber music in Karlsruhe, and Jana Kuss at the Accademia Perosi in Biella, Italy.