We are pleased that the Heidelberger Frühling has agreed to host our competition on January 25th 2018 in the framework of its famous string quartet festival.

We can thus count on an enthusiastic and well informed audience !

More information under "competition".

Foundation awards special prize
The Board of the Irene Steels-Wilsing Foundation has decided unanimously to award for the first time a special prize to a person with outstanding merits in the world of string quartets. Irene Schwalb received the official document in January 2016 on the occasion of the String quartet festival in Heidelberg. One of the invited quartets was the remarkable Schumann Quartet.

Meccore Quartet in Belgium
At the beginning of April 2016 the Polish Meccore Quartet (winner of the 2012 competition of the foundation and 2nd prize 2014) played their prize winner‘s concert at the festival "Voix Intimes" in the Belgian town Tournai.

Noga and Armida Quartets in Brussels
On January 13th 2016 the French Noga Quartet (winner 2014) played a very successful lunch concert for the Concerts de Midi; in the same month the Armida Quartet was enthousiastically applauded by the audience of BOZAR, the most important concert organizer of Belgium.

Schumann Quartet in Celle
The Schumann Quartet gave a much appreciated concert at the Celler Schloss in September 2015.

Noga Quartet wins in Melbourne
We are very happy to announce that Noga won first prize and the public‘s prize at the chamber music competition of Melbourne in July 2015. Congratulations !

Mucha Quartet in Bratislava
Thanks to an initiative of the president of the foundation the Slovaque Mucha Quartet was given the opportunity to play a much applauded concert during a congress of former EU officials in Bratislava in June 2015.

Festival Qart‘o Mondi in Poznan
In April 2015 Irene Steels-Wilsing spent two days at the string quartet festival founded by Meccore with financial support of the Polish Ministry of Culture. She heard the Meccore Quartet and the Armida Quartet, two excellent concerts.

London string quartet competition
End of March/beginning of April 2015 the founder of irene4strings attended the international string quartet competition in London where she met among other important contacts Sonia Simmenauer who, after her separation from Borciani has now accepted to organize the London winner‘s concert tour in Germany. The overall standard was high and the decision of the jury (1st prize Van Kuijk) logical.

String quartet festival Heidelberg
Towards the end of January 2015 the president attended again the Heidelberg quartet festival where she met an old friend - the organizer Irene Schwalb - and made important contacts with young quartets, concert organizers and agents. the playing standard was high and the public highly motivated and interested.