Crossing borders: the world of the Artos Quartet

By Signe Hansen | Photos: Andrej Grilc

Bringing together four seasoned musicians with long-standing orchestral careers and international backgrounds, the Artos Quartet thrives on collaborations. Based in Aarhus, the ensemble is deeply rooted in the Danish classical music scene yet works with composers, soloists, and musicians that extend far beyond their sphere, from jazz to rhythm and folk traditions. Their vision is clear: to expand the reach of chamber music and connect with as many audiences as possible.

Formed in 2018, the quartet brings together Tue Lautrup (violin, DK), Sarah Lucy Foldager (violin, US), Sanna Ripatti (viola, FI) and Brian Friisholm (cello, DK). “Our quartet sprang from a fundamental love of chamber music and the interaction it necessitates – it’s about really listening, being resonant with the people you work with,” explains violinist Lautrup. “When you are on stage, it’s like Formula 1 – you must have 100 per cent focus and presence – it feels like being out on an ice floe, where survival depends on alertness and on observing one another.”

That intensity is matched by a strong curiosity for collaboration. Alongside partnerships with classical colleagues – from Trio con Brio Copenhagen and cellist Andreas Brantelid to clarinettist Mathias Kjøller and pianist Tanja Zapolski – Artos has worked widely with jazz musicians and rhythm-section guests, programming everything from Shostakovich, Mozart, and Puccini to genre-blending evenings with vocalist Camilla Dayyani, saxophonist Chris Speed and bassist Anders Jormin. “We love jazz and rhythmic music,” Lautrup notes. “Playing with jazz musicians gives a different kind of inspiration than the tradition we come from.”

Just as the quartet delights in mixing genres, it also works hard to open doors for new audiences – curating the Artos Festival, a chamber-music celebration in Aarhus each May, and staging informal pop-ups in cafés and community spaces.

Lautrup is equally enthusiastic about the ensemble’s forthcoming recording, Mols, Midt i en Symfoni, a major new work by award-winning trumpeter-composer Jakob Buchanan, with a unique story behind its title. “The piece began when Jakob bought a house in Mols from a folk musician’s son. While renovating, he found the musician’s old melody book and, sitting there in Mols, leafing through those tunes, he let them unfold into this work,” explains Lautrup. Rooted in folk melody, the score is written for string quartet and jazz quartet, pairing Artos with a jazz ensemble from the US.

On 19 October, you can experience Artos string quartet at Kulturloftet, Ebeltoft.