The French ensemble will now perform on a set of Stradivari instruments made available by the Stiftung Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray
(Source The Violin Channel – June 13, 2026)
The Ebène Quartet, based in Paris, France, has announced the acquisition of four instruments crafted in the 17th and 18th centuries by the renowned Italian violin maker Antonio Stradivari (1644-1737). The two violins are the "Piatti" from 1717 and the "King George" from 1710, both made during Stradivari's Golden Period. The viola is the "Gibson" from 1734, considered Stradivari's last surviving viola, and the "De Kermadec-Bläss" cello from 1698 was made when Stradivari was in his fifties.
Violinist Pierre Colombet of the Ebène Quartet will now perform on two violins: the "Piatti" from 1717, generously loaned to him by a generous sponsor through Beare's International Violin Society, and a violin by Matteo Goffriller from 1736, generously loaned to him by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider, who has also lent him a bow by Charles Tourte.
Gabriel Le Magadure will perform on the "King George" violin from 1710. He has also performed on Baron Rothschild's former violin, a Peter Guarneri from Venice, kindly loaned to him by the Miller-Porter Collection through Beare's International Violin Society, and on a violin with a Guarneri label from around 1740, also loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider. He plays a bow by Dominique Pecatte from around 1845, also made available to him by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider.
Barbash Competition 2026 (14 days)
Violist Marie Chilemme of the quartet performs on two violas: the Gibson from 1734, generously loaned by the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger, and a viola from 1625, made by Marcellus Hollmayr in Füssen, loaned by Gabriele Forberg-Schneider. Cellist Yuya Okamoto has performed on a cello by Giovanni Grancino from 1682, made in Milan, and will now perform on the recently acquired De Kermadec-Bläss cello from 1698.
The Ebène Quartet studied under the Quatuor Ysaÿe in Paris, as well as under Gábor Takács, Eberhard Feltz, and György Kurtág. The group's success came after winning the ARD International Music Competition in 2004. Highlights from last season include concerts at the Salzburg Festival, the Berlin Philharmonie, the Megaron Theatre in Athens, Wigmore Hall, and Carnegie Hall in New York City.
"It is an enormous pleasure and a great honor for us to announce that the Quatuor Ebène now has the privilege of performing on four Stradivarius instruments!" the quartet shares. "These instruments will become our best friends and can speak to each other. The opportunity to elevate our artistic abilities and standards to the highest level thanks to these prestigious instruments is an ongoing pursuit, and we treasure every day the opportunity we have been given," they add. "An exciting and inspiring mission lies ahead of us, and we want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Stradivari Foundation Habisreutinger-Huggler-Coray and our generous sponsor, Beare's International Violin Society, who have given us the opportunity to play these jewels and to strive for the unreachable."
