Arvid Engegård – violin Alex Robson – violin Juliet Jopling – viola Jan Clemens Carlsen – cello Formed under the midnight sun in Lofoten in 2006, the Engegård Quartet has rapidly become one of Norway’s most sought after ensembles. Their bold, fresh interpretations of the classical repertoire combined with a deep attachment to their Scandinavian roots has attracted international acclaim, and inspired some innovative partnerships and programming. The quartet’s debut CD was praised as ‘breathtaking’ in The Strad, while their second release won Pizzicato magazine’s ‘Supersonic Award’. Their CD of works by Grieg, Sibelius, and Olav Anton Thommessen was praised by Tully Potter in Music Web International as ‘what Grieg lovers have been waiting for’.
The Engegård Quartet has a busy concert schedule throughout Scandinavia and further afield. They have performed in some of Europe’s finest venues including the Mozarteum in Salzburg and Prague’s Rudolfinum, as well as performing in South America with concerts in Bogotá and Sao Paolo. Festival performances include the Delft Chamber Music Festival, SoNoRo Festival in Bucharest, and Heidelberg’s Streichquartettfest. Members of the quartet are also deeply involved in bringing superb chamber music to Norway – Arvid Engegård as founder of the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival, and Juliet Jopling as artistic director of the Oslo Quartet Series.
The Engegård Quartet has had the honour to work with (among others) András Schiff, Leif Ove Andsnes, Christian Ihle Hadland, and Emma Johnson. They also love to collaborate with colleagues from different musical traditions, including a folk/classical fusion with Hardanger fiddler Nils Økland, a collaboration with jazz violinist Ola Kvernberg, and a programme of Ibsen and late Beethoven with actor Bjørn Sundquist. The Engegård Quartet’s own ‘1-2-3 mini-festival’ has proven immensely popular and is now a regular event each year, providing a feast of chamber music, song, piano works, and lectures.

Arvid Engegård was born in Bodø, Norway, in 1963. At age eleven he led his first string quartet in concerts throughout Norway. After receiving a degree in violin from Trondheim Conservatory of Music at age sixteen, he continued his studies at Eastman School of Music in Rochester, New York. He later studied with Sándor Végh in Salzburg, Austria, and was invited to lead Camerata Academica, a position he held for eight years. In 1991 Engegård was asked to lead the Orlando Quartet in Amsterdam.
As violinist and chamber musician, Engegård has performed at many of Europe’s most prestigious festivals, including the Lockenhaus Chamber Music Festival, the Salzburg Festival, Musiktage Mondsee, and the Mozarteum Foundation’s Mozart Week. Engegård’s career as conductor has steadily advanced since 1999, working with orchestras in Norway and abroad. He has previously released two recordings as conductor on the LAWO Classics label: "W.A. Mozart" (LWC1071) – a recording of Concertos K. 299 and K. 297B – with the Oslo Philharmonic, and "Mozart, Hvoslef Sæverud" (LWC1100) with oboist David Friedemann Strunck and the Oslo Philharmonic. In 2015 he released "Duo Brilliante" (LWC1080) as violinist, with double bassist Knut Erik Sundquist and the Norwegian Radio Orchestra.
Arvid Engegård is artistic director of the Lofoten International Chamber Music Festival. In 2000 he received the 'Nordlys Prize' at the Northern Lights Festival in Tromsø, Norway. In 2006 he founded the Engegård Quartet, which performs throughout Europe and is one of Scandinavia’s most soughtafter chamber music ensembles.