



N E W S
Concert and recording in Greece
23.10.2022
November brings us to Greece, presenting our Fusion project in Athens. We'll make new audio and video recordings on the mountain side as part of a collaboration with Greek musicians Thanasis Papakonstantinou.
Portugal tour
20.10.2022
Our 1st ever visit in Portugal saw 4 concerts around the country, from Faro in the south to Amarante in the north. We were welcomed with great warmth and amazing hospitality. We will come back most definitely!
SoundLinks Festival
17.9.2022
The 1st edition of our new-born crossover chamber music festival a had come to a successful end! The festival included 7 concerts during one complete week of September in various locations in the Cologne. We are already looking forward working on the net festival!
U P C O M I N G E V E N T S
Dec
28
Kubitz Na'an, Israel
Routes
Jan
03
Jerusalem, Israel
Music academy
diGIT Project presentation
Jan
05
Tel Aviv, Israel
CEME Festival
diGIT Project
Jan
06
Tel Aviv, Israel
CEME Festival
SELCTED VIDEOS

ABOUT
The Cologne Guitar Quartet is an international ensemble based in Germany. Its members have four different nationalities: Tobias Juchem-Germany, Henrique Almeida-Portugal, Ptolemaios Armaos-Greece and Tal Botvinik-Israel.
Since its founding in 2014, the Cologne Guitar Quartet has evolved in various musical directions that reflect its artistic interests and goals. Their programs are shaped by influences from the local music scene as well as the home countries, traditions and cultural backgrounds of the ensemble members. The repertoire ranges from classical and world music to contemporary, experimental and electronic music. The ensemble have premiered new compositions by prominent composers such as Feliu Gasull, Sergej Maingardt, Yair Klartag, Jonah Haven, Dariya Maminova, Vincent Michalke, Francisco Goldschmidt, Ptolemaios Armaos, Henrique Almeida, Tom Belkind, Alexander Held and Lucia Kilger.
Recognized for their captivating and virtuosic performances, the quartet has been invited to perform in various festivals such as "speGTRa", (DE) "Zeitgenuss" (DE), "Les Musicales" (FR) and "Felicja Blumental" (ISR), “Algarve music series” (PT) and “CEME” (ISR) . They have toured in various countries such as China, Germany, France Israel, Portugal, Greece, Serbia etc.
The quartet released two albums: "phasma", with contemporary music for classical guitar, and "Routes", ranging from classical to world music.
The Cologne Guitar Quartet was awarded in various competitions, such as "Karlsruhe Competition for the Interpretation of Contemporary Music", "Wuppertal Chamber Music" Competition", and acquired a "Live Music Now" scholarship from the Yehudi Menuhin Foundation. The quartet receives is supported by the Ministry of Culture and Science of the State of Nord Rhine-Westphalia.
In 2022 the quartet founded a new international crossover chamber music festival in Cologne: the SoundLinks Festival. The festival included 8 different concerts by renowned local and international artists in various concert halls around the city during the festival's first edition.
Ptolemaios Armaos (Greece)
Tobias Juchem (Germany)
Henrique Almeida (Portugal)
Tal Botvinik (Israel)
RELEASES
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The new Festival created by the quartet is an Event for chamber music crossover, combining various musical genres with one another and representing cultural diversity. The profile and the unifying elements of the festival is the guitar in different implementations, instrumentation and in new unusual ensemble formations.
"diGIT” project features new compositions commissioned by the ensemble for classical guitars, electric guitars and electronics and is a anchor point for expending and experimenting with the formation of a guitar quartet and additional instruments. The instrumentation, sound possibilities and new artistic collaborations are the foundations of this pioneer project.
In its concert program “Fusion”, the Cologne Guitar Quartet combines different musical styles with influences from the Cologne music scene as well as the home countries, traditions and cultural backgrounds of the ensemble members. The program includes its own compositions and arrangements for guitar, Brazilian cavaquinho, Portuguese guitar, electric guitar, acoustic guitar, Greek Bouzouki, electronic effects and voices, creating a unique sound experience.