Otilka Kwartet
The Otilka Quartet is a dynamic and international ensemble of four musicians from the Netherlands, Portugal and Italy. Founded in September 2020 at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam, the Otilka Quartet has quickly established itself as a promising ensemble in the world of chamber music. The Otilka Quartet consists of: Iris van Nuland, Lucien Renette, Francisca Galante, and Stefano Bruno.
Their studies began under the mentorship of renowned musicians including Dmitri Ferschtman, Peter Brunt, and Ed Spanjaard. They are now receiving lessons from Judith van Driel (Dudok Quartet), and Sven Tepl. They also had the opportunity of working with Pierre Colombet (Quatuor Ébène), Nobuko Imai (Vermeer Quartet), Alan George (Fitzwilliam Quartet), Antti Tikkanen and Tomas Djupsjöbacka (Meta4), Luc-Marie de Aguera (Quatuor Ysaÿe) William Coleman (Kuss Quartet), Marc Danel and Gilles Millet (Quatuor Danel), Joris van Rijn and Michael Müller (Ruysdael Quartet), and more.
In October 2025, Het Kersjesfonds, one of Netherlands’ largest private music promotion funds, awarded the Otilka Quartet the 2025 Kersjesprijs. This Prize consists of 50,000 euros to be spent on professional development and growth. Since the same year they became the post-graduate quartet of the Dutch String Quartet Academy (NSKA). In February 2024, the Otilka Quartet participated in the IX International Music Competition Triomphe de l’Art in Brussels and won the second prize.
The Otilka Quartet has peformed in most major halls of the Netherlands, including the Concertgebouw of Amsterdam, Tivoli Vredenburg Utrecht, and Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ. They also participated in festivals like Wonderfeel, Dudok Muziekdagen, Storioni Festival and collaborated with the Dudok Quartet and Ruysdael Quartet.
Apart from the standard repertoire, they have a special interest in peforming new music and that of the 20th century. This includes works by for instance Bartók, Webern, Ives, Schulhoff, but also new compositions by Max van Platen, Ian Wilson and Jessie Montgomery. They also contributed to some revival of Dutch contemporary music, including works by Peter Schat, Ton de Leeuw, Sedje Hémon and many more.
