About

Founded in May 2024 in Bern, Switzerland, the Arola Quartet unites four young musicians — Samuel Hirsch (violin I), Alla Ternova (violin II), Viktoria Vanteeva (viola), and Zoia Sudnis (cello) — from Switzerland, Ukraine, and Russia. Since its formation, the quartet has quickly gained recognition for its expressive depth, stylistic precision, and cohesive sound. The ensemble has received multiple international awards, including the Gold Prize in the Chamber Music category at the American Classical Music Awards 2024 (New York, USA), the Silver Prize at the Premio Annarosa Taddei 2024 (Rome, Italy), and both the Silver Prize and the Adolfo Betti Prize for the best string quartet at the Virtuoso & Belcanto Chamber Music Competition 2025 (Lucca, Italy). In September 2025, the Arola Quartet won the Golden Prize and the Prize for the best interpretation of a composition by Leoš Janáček at the 31st International Leoš Janáček Competition (Brno, Czech Republic). The quartet has performed at numerous prestigious festivals, including Playtime Festival (Bern, Switzerland), Mendelssohn Festival NSKA at TivoliVredenburg (Utrecht, Netherlands), Week-End Musical de Pully (Pully, Switzerland), Muggia Beethovenfest in collaboration with La Società dei Concerti Trieste (Muggia, Italy), Virtuoso & Belcanto Festival (Lucca / Bagni di Lucca, Italy), Zeist Music Days Festival (Netherlands), Festival Les Musicales de Coppet (Coppet, Switzerland), RCM Strings Festival (London, United Kingdom) and Chamber Fest Durres (Albania). In 2026, the quartet will perform at several major Czech festivals, including the Leoš Janáček International Music Festival in Ostrava, the Janáček Festival in Brno, and the International Music Festival for the Treasures of the Broumov Region. The Arola Quartet is currently a member of the Stauffer Academy in Cremona (Italy), where they study with the Quartetto di Cremona, and at the Nederlandse Strijkkwartet Academie (NSKA) in the Netherlands. They have received artistic guidance from David Finckel (Emerson Quartet) and Wu Han (Lincoln Center), all members of the Jerusalem Quartet, Marc Danel (Danel Quartet), Günter Pichler, Gerhard Schulz and Valentin Erben (Alban Berg Quartet), Luc-Marie Aguera (Ysaÿe Quartet), Heime Müller (Artemis Quartet), Abel Tomàs and Arnau Tomàs (Casals Quartet). With an artistic vision rooted in tradition yet open to contemporary expression, the Arola Quartet continues to explore the vast string quartet repertoire, bringing its musical integrity and emotional sensitivity to audiences across Europe.