ABOUT OPUS13
“...this was a performance of a profundity and kaleidoscopic colour that would have been astounding from any ensemble, let alone a young one still making itself known.”
First Prize winners at both the 2025 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition and the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, Opus13 is rapidly building a reputation on the international chamber music scene. In 2026 they were named recipients of the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award.
Named after Mendelssohn’s youthful and passionate A Minor Quartet, Op. 13 — the first piece they ever played together —the quartet was formed in Oslo in 2014 by four teenagers eager to dive into the world of string quartets. Opus13 comprises Norwegian violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal, violist Albin Uusijärvi and cellist Daniel Thorell, both from Sweden.
In addition to performing core string quartet repertoire by composers such as Mozart, Bartók, and Schubert, Opus13 are passionate ambassadors of Nordic classical and contemporary music, frequently programming works by Grieg, Stenhammar, Tarrodi, Byström, and Fagerlund. They also enjoy genre-crossing collaborations, having performed with Norwegian folk and popular music artists including Gjermund Larsen Trio, Sissel Kyrkjebø, and Sver.
Upcoming debuts include performances at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall London, Laeiszhalle Hamburg, Essen Philharmonie, Rotterdam De Doelen and Stockholm Konserthus. They present a three-season concert residency at Leeds International Chamber Series as well as festival projects at the Baltic Sea, Bergen and Banff Festivals. Opus13 return to South Korea for a series of performances and make their debut tour of Japan including performances in Osaka, Yokohama and Tokyo.
Opus13 collaborates with leading musicians such as Janine Jansen, Leif Ove Andsnes, Tabea Zimmermann and Anne Sofie von Otter. Their musical development has been shaped by ongoing mentorships with Bjørg Lewis and Berit Cardas of the Vertavo Quartet and Tim Frederiksen. From 2025 the quartet has also studied with Prof. Oliver Wille (Kuss Quartett).
Opus13 are the founders and artistic directors of Vinterspill på Lillehammer, an annual chamber music festival in Lillehammer, Norway.
The quartet performs on an exceptional set of instruments:
- Sonoko Miriam Welde, violin – Antonio Stradivari (1736), on loan from Anders Sveaas’ Charitable Fund
- Edvard Erdal, violin – Giovanni Battista Guadagnini (1751), on loan from Dextra Musica
- Albin Uusijärvi, viola – Christophe Landon (2008)
- Daniel Thorell, cello – Giuseppe & Antonio Gagliano (1772), on loan from the Järnåker Foundation
Photo: Benjamin Ealovega / Wigmore Hall