The Asaka Quartet is a prizewinning string quartet formed in 2021 at the Royal Academy of Music in London. They are currently the Open Academy/Wigmore Hall Fellowship Ensemble for 2023/24 and were previously Chamber Music Fellows at the Royal Academy for 2022/23. They also hold the position of Quartet in Residence for 2023-2026 at Oxfords Wolfson College. Yielding from China, Hong Kong and Scotland, the Asaka’s each bring with them their own identities. They pride themselves on communicating their enjoyment of making music together and sharing this with their audiences, with a keen interest in music by underrepresented composers.
 
The Asaka’s are 2023 Tunnell Trust Prizewinners and will embark on their prizewinners tour of Scotland in February 2025. They were also 1st prize winners in the Wolfe Wolfinsohn String Quartet Competition at the Royal Academy of Music in July 2022 for their performance of Beethoven’s String Quartet Opus 18 No.2 in G major. In June 2022 & 2023 they were invited to attend the Tunnell Trust's Chamber Music Coll, where they were mentored closely by Ralph de Souza of the Endellion Quartet, Scott Dickinson and Jonathan and Charles Tunnell. The quartet have also been mentored closely by Martin Outram since 2021, when they were selected for the prestigious Frost Trust Advanced Specialist Strings Ensemble Training Scheme (A.S.S.E.T.) at the Academy.

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The Asakas made several festival appearances in summer 2023, as String Apprentices at the Southwell Music Festival, performing at the Dinard Opening Festival in France as well as premiering a new work for string quartet by composer Ned Bigham at the Petworth Festival in July. In January 2024 they will embark on a tour of the UK, performing across Scotland as well as making their debuts at the Stoller Hall and the Conway Hall.

 

Asaka also enjoy working with young musicians. In November 2022 they visited the Poole Society for Young Musicians to coach the young chamber ensembles, and they are very much looking forward to return for more masterclasses and a recital in April 2023. They have also presented workshops introducing the String Quartet to primary school children across Exmoor as part of the Two Moors Festival.

 

As close friends, growing up on opposite sides of the world to the most contrasting of cultures, they have a keen interest in learning and experiencing new things, which lead them to enjoy discovering and sharing underrepresented music. Through presenting creative and innovative programmes, they invite their audiences to discover new repertoire from a fresh and exciting perspective.

 

Asaka are delighted to have been selected for The Stoller Hall’s ‘Emerging Artists Scheme’ and are also one of Chamber Music Scotlands ‘Ones to Watch’ for 2022/23.