S-ensemble

«There are concerts that surprise you so much musically that you mentally underline the name of the ensemble in red, so as not to miss them should they ever perform in the region again. Of such quality was the piano quartet afternoon that Nadja Saminskaja (piano), Ronny Spiegel (violin), Daphne Unseld (viola) and Fedor Saminski (cello) presented on Sunday at the Monastery of Fischingen.»

Christof Lampart, Thurgauer Zeitung

The Zurich-based s-ensemble was founded in 2007. In a creative search for a shared musical language within the rich world of the piano quartet, the ensemble performs not only works by Mozart, Brahms, Fauré and Dvorak — the established pillars of this genre — but also works by lesser-known composers such as Turina, Goetz, Bonis and Juon.

The s-ensemble's repertoire also includes world premieres, among them the «Suite pour quatuor» by Rodolphe Schacher and the Concerto for piano and strings by the German-Jewish composer Maria Herz. The latter was broadcast in 2020 by Radio SRF Kultur and BBC Radio 3.

For nearly 20 years, the quartet has been performing in Switzerland, Germany, France and Russia, and also appears in an expanded formation with guest musicians.

The three string players of the s-ensemble play bows made in the workshop of bow maker Fedor Saminski.