ABOUT US
We, Xandi, Marit, Nora and Deborah, found each other in the autumn of the year 2024. In our first meeting in a small village in the southern part of Switzerland, we found out that we not only want to play as a string quartet but also think music further. Widening space - breaking norms - and staying soft at the same time. Our intense common wish is to put classical music into a new contemporary context, to tear down the walls that were built up around it and to experiment with new, authentic and daring concert formats. Our profound base is our love for each other, for the world and the music we are making, whichever genre it is. Our goal is to simply be ourselves within our performances and through that, radiate what we so strongly believe in: hope, longing, vulnerability, honesty and being human.
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with love to you all, ALMA DENO
Alexandra Maria Seywald
violin
Deborah about Xandi in January 2026
Alexandra Maria Seywald loves ostriches, which are known for their very fast walk. As you maybe already noticed, Alexandra Maria Seywald has a rather long name, so she calls herself for simplicity’s and coolness‘ sake Xandi. Talking about coolness, Xandi is one oft the coolest people I know. She has not only a remarkable amount of really cool clothes (preferably in the red color spectrum), which she can offer in any style for any occasion to the quartet, she is also a person who inspires in just doing her own thing. Xandi doesn’t care much about conventional norms, and lives her very own, authentic, creative and true life. Also musically, she inspires me a lot, in thinking and feeling beyond what we were taught, to question, extend and break norms and traditions.
Xandi is an absolute pro at playing the violin (and Ligretto, in where she doesn’t like to loose). She has an incredibly rich, genuine and touching way of expressing her deep inner world through music. I admire her enthusiasm and how deeply and wholeheartedly she immerses herself into subjects that sparked her interest. Besides playing Ligretto and violin, Xandi also loves to sing (she has a very beautiful and loud voice). She composes little songs for ANY funny occasion. It’s not that rare that we try out her spontaneously-composed-four-part songs as a quartet. Whether we play or sing music by Xandi or listen to the texts she created, her works are deeply touching. They are unique, vulnerable, full of beauty, strong, honest and authentic. Just as she is.
Marit Behnke
violin
Xandi about Marit in January 2026:
The character trait I admire the most about Marit is that she truly cares about others. By that I mean that her interest in other people’s well-being is the most honest, strongest and deepest I’ve ever experienced. And that emotional intensity and empathy is also reflected in her violin playing and her musical communication. Resonance, her G string, beautiful light and colors (especially all shades of blue, even though she would deny that preference if you ask her) make her incredibly happy. Her hands have a somewhat magic effect on other people’s bodies - she gives excellent massages. Next to expressing herself artistically, another important need for Marit is to move a lot in order to connect with herself and her body. After a longer time of sitting still she gets restless and wherever she goes, she brings a lot of „Schwung“.
Marit dreams of having a beautiful second first name, but she is not very open to accept our suggestions for one. Marit is a strong advocate for listening intently, paying attention to your inner self and fighting for what truly matters: embracing and strengthening the high value of humanness in all its aspects.
Nora Elida Svendsen Kvam
viola
Marit about Nora in January 2026
There are many things I love about Nora. She is one of the coziest and, at the same time, craziest people I know. Nora has a deep sensitivity for beauty. Not the loud or obvious kind, but beauty that appears unexpectedly: in odd places, quiet moments, books, special atmospheres or in a corner of a room filled with light. She notices beauty where others might pass by. Music, for Nora, is a way to connect with others, and a gateway to express parts of our consciousness that language cannot reach. Her viola playing is as unique and honest as Nora herself is. I love the many colours and worlds she is creating through her playing! She is a wonderful storyteller of everyday situations, turning them into moments that makes me laugh so much I can't stop. I admire her many talents: making the best pizza in the world (even Deborah, who is Italian, agrees), creating fearless haircuts, a makeup expertise from which I learned everything I know, and her rare gift for finding exactly the right words for things that are difficult to express. She sometimes creates unexpected poetry in everyday conversations, and her German carries a slightly dirty tone. Nora is one of the most honest people I know. She does not look away when things are difficult; avoidance makes her uncomfortable, and the courage to show up in uncomfortable situations is something I deeply admire. I will end with the fact, that compliments delight her and at the same time seem to lift her slightly out of herself, which I love! ;)
Deborah Di Marco
cello
Nora about Deborah in January 2026
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Deborah wishes for a future where people listen more to their hearts and lives stronger from within. As a friend and colleague of hers a question struck me: How does Deborah do this? Deborah is present through attentiveness to her senses and her reactions. She smells things - trees, moss, the rain. It calms her. She tastes baked goods, and if it’s cardamom rolls, it makes her heart grow big. She also listens actively, searching for her desired future. She listens to music, her cello students, to people and their longings and fairs, and to the world. I mark myself, with attentiveness ones inside becomes rich. This is naturally reflected in her playing. As musician Deborah walks a cool path between reacting and creating. Her sense of order together with a never reluctant liveliness, creates a steady base to the group. Most of all, her musicianship and cello playing is a place where she shares from her inside. Here she can let her intuition flow and let the feelings of the music run through her and back out to those who listens.