YOUNG TALENTS IN THE CONCERTGEBOUW - Part IV
In March 2024, the Otilka Quartet enchanted the audience with their lunch concert in the Kleine Zaal (Concertebouw Recital Hall). Today, they return to this magical stage with a spellbinding new program. The highlight of the afternoon will be Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat — a masterpiece of fire, refinement, and emotional depth.
This unforgettable musical experience is brought to life by five rising stars: the promising Otilka Quartet together with the gifted violist Séamus Hickey. Let their passion ignite your spirit, their virtuosity take your breath away, and their exquisite ensemble playing weave a spell that lingers long after the final note..
Otilka Quartet
The Otilka Quartet is a dynamic and international ensemble of four inquisitive musicians — Iris van Nuland (violin), Lucien Renette (violin), Francisca Galante (viola), and Stefano Bruno (cello). Founded in 2020, the quartet was born from a shared passion for classical music and a desire to push the boundaries of traditional string quartet playing.
In a short time, they have established themselves as a promising presence in the world of chamber music. Alongside performing the standard repertoire, the ensemble explores works by lesser-known composers, the art of arranging, and the fusion of musical styles such as jazz, tango, and contemporary music.
The quartet takes its name from the wife of Josef Suk, after performing the composer’s Second String Quartet — a piece that sparked a true connection among the musicians and inspired them to continue as a professional string quartet.
Seamus Hickey
Irish violist Séamus Hickey is rapidly gaining recognition as one of Europe’s most promising young chamber musicians. He studied with Marjolein Dispa and Nobuko Imai at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, and chamber music at the Nederlandse StrijkKwartet Academie, following earlier training at the CIT Cork School of Music with Simon Aspell, Adrian Petcu, and Chris Marwood.
A prize-winning performer, Séamus received second place at the Amsterdam National Viola Competition (2019), where he also won the Vieuxtemps Prize. In Dublin, he was awarded first prize in the Aileen Gore Cup and the RTÉ Lyric FM Award, and in 2020 he received the prestigious RDS Jago Award. In 2022, he recorded and performed as a soloist with the RTÉ Concert Orchestra. Séamus is the violist of the Sonoro Quartet, prize-winners at the 2021 Bartók World Competition in Budapest.
Séamus brings to every performance a rare combination of warmth, virtuosity, and depth, qualities that make him both a compelling soloist and an inspiring chamber musician.
Haydn en Schulhoff
Before the interval, the Otilka Quartet opens with Haydn’s String Quartet Op. 20 No. 2 — a richly nuanced work in which playful lightness, restrained lyricism, and striking contrasts succeed one another. The piece offers the quartet every opportunity to showcase their versatility and expressive range.
They then present five short pieces by Erwin Schulhoff — brilliant miniatures that weave together four dance forms (waltz, tango, Czech folk dance, and tarantella) alongside a serenade. These are no ordinary dances: Schulhoff transforms them in his own distinctive way into something utterly unique and surprising. Rarely performed, this work is a special delight for the Otilka Quartet to share with you today.
After the interval, the quartet is joined by violist Séamus Hickey, well known from the Sonoro Quartet. Together, they bring Mendelssohn’s String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat to life — a sincere, sparkling, and deeply moving composition. With their combined energy and dedication, these five young musicians promise a performance to remember.
CONCERT
Date: Sunday, 19 October 2025
Location: Concertgebouw, Amsterdam