Vienna's Artis Quartet to Disband After 45 Years

The acclaimed quartet has decided to disband at the end of 2025

Founded in 1980, the Artis Quartet (AQ) is among the few quartets worldwide where the combination of all members remained unchanged for over 40 years. The group comprises violinists Peter Schuhmayer and Johannes Meissl, violist Herbert Kefer, and cellist Othmar Müller. 

Dedicated to the repertoire of the first Viennese School, AQ has since been performing and recording works of the late-19th and early-20th century. The group has released over 40 CDs for Nimbus Records, Sony Classical, CBS/Sony, Orfeo, Accord, Koch/Schwann, and Camerata Tokyo.

Among their awards include the Echo Klassik, Indie Award, Grand Prix International Du Disque/Academie Charles Cros, The Prix Caecilia, The Diapason D’or, Wiener Flã–Tenuhr, and the Midem Classical Award.

AQ has held a residency at the Wiener Musikverein since 1988, where they have enjoyed performing series exclusively dedicated to one composer.

“We think it is time to officially announce that the members of the Artis Quartet have decided to disband after a long and prosperous career of 45 YEARS at the end of 2025!” the quartet posted on Facebook. “We are looking forward to playing for our audiences until the very final and last bar!”

At its founding, AQ studied at the University of Music in Vienna and was coached by Hatto Beyerle and Alfred Staar. They won prizes at competitions in England, France, and the U.S. They also studied as Friedlander Fellows with the LaSalle Quartet at the College Conservatory of Music, University of Cincinnati in the early 1980s.

AQ’s international career launched in 1985, performing at venues including Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, Library of Congress, Suntory Hall, International Forum Tokyo, Konzerthaus Berlin, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Wigmore Hall, and Teatro Colon Buenos Aires, among others.

The group also appeared at international festivals such as the Salzburger Festspiele, Wiener Festwochen, Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Berliner Festwochen, Beethoven Festival, Ravinia, and Salzburger Mozartwoche. 

A champion of contemporary works,  AQ has given the premieres of works by A. Zemlinsky, Helmut Eder, Erich Urbanner, Thomas Pernes, Thomas Larcher, Gerhard Schedl, Haimo Wisser, Wolfgang Kubizek, Alfred Huber, Harry Pepl, Tania Gabrielle French, Antonio Pino Vargas, and more.

In the quartet, Schuhmayer plays a 1907 Philipp Keller violin, Meissl plays an 1690 A. Guarneri, Kefer plays a 1784 J.B. Guadagnini viola, and Müller plays an 1573 A. Amati cello. The latter three Italian instruments are on loan from the Austrian National Bank’s collection.