Oyvor Volle, violin
Berit Cardas, violin
Henninge Landaas, viola
Bjorg Lewis, cello

“These Norwegian ladies beam like the summer sun, and the fun does not stop when they start playing. Huddled together, they bubble over with the simple but profound joy of making music. Fifteen years of experience, much touring, and a handful of Norwegian CDs lie behind them, yet they still sound fresh as dew.”
— The Times

A national treasure of their native Norway, the Vertavo Quartet has firmly established itself as one of the most exciting ensembles of today. Still only in their early thirties, these four friends have performed together for over 20 years, having formed their quartet in Oslo in 1984. On top of a long line of prizes and accolades in June 2005, the Quartet were honoured with the Grieg-Prize 2005; a prize bestowed on an artist of high international standing and of which former recipients include Leif Ove Andsnes, Truls Mork and the Grieg Trio.

Their special affinity for contemporary music has led them to give commanding performances of works by Ligeti, Ades and works by contemporary Nordic composers such as Norgard and Asheim. Collaboration with fellow musicians plays an integral role in the Vertavo Quartet’s concert life, enriched not least as Artistic Directors of the Elverum Summer Music Festival in Norway where they have formed partnerships with Hakan Hagegard, Malena Ernman, Jean-Yves Thibaudet, Stephen Kovacevich, Leif Ove Andsnes, Hakan Hardenberger, Christian Lindberg, Isabelle van Keulen and Michael Collins.

Having appeared in the Summer 2005 festivals in Lyon and Hitzacker, the Vertavo’s 2005/06 season sees them return to Stockholm and Gothenberg’s Konserthusets, and to Germany with concerts in Bavaria, Hamburg, and Celle. They are guest artists on a new chamber series in Helsinki, and in the UK they are guest quartet at Manchester’s Bridgewater Hall, Nottingham and Sheffield at ‘Music in the Round’. In North America they appear on Calgary’s long established Pro Musica Quartet Series.

The Quartet first captured international attention when they won no fewer than four awards including the First Prize at the 2nd Melbourne International Chamber Music Competition in 1995. They went on to receive the Nordic Chamber Music Prize (1996), the Critics’ Prize from the Norwegian press (1996), a nomination for the Nordic Council’s Culture Award in 1998 and the Nordea prize in 2003.