The Maxwell Quartet combines a sophisticated approach to classical works with a passion for its own folk heritage and a commitment to expanding the string quartet repertoire through a variety of projects. The musicians have known one another since their days in youth orchestras in Scotland. Their close bond is reflected in their captivating musical interpretations and their joyful interaction with the audience.

The group has strong ties to its Scottish roots and, alongside folk-inspired works, often performs classical repertoire and new music. This includes the world premiere of a commissioned work by Linda Buckley featuring bagpiper Brìghde Chaimbeul, which was presented at the Celtic Connections festival and across Europe. The quartet also tours with Worksongs, a project exploring the folk songs and cultures of Scotland’s historic industries, including the jute and tweed industries. The Maxwell Quartet has also collaborated with the soul duo Lunir and the folk duo Chris Stout & Catriona MacKay.

Linn Records released the group’s two debut CDs, which combine Joseph Haydn’s string quartets with their own compositions based on Scottish folk music. The first release reached number three in the classical charts. The CD Gather, released in 2023, brings together traditional Scottish music from 1200 to the present day, including ancient Celtic chants, fishermen’s songs, bagpipe marches and Shetland reels, as well as new compositions.

The quartet performs in venues such as Wigmore Hall in London, Queen’s Hall in Edinburgh and Perth Concert Hall, as well as across Europe, including the Konzerthaus in Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. Since 2019, the quartet has toured the USA annually. In the 2025/26 season, they will make their debut at Carnegie Hall and the Frick Collection in New York.

The musicians are passionate about collaborating with other artists and across different art forms. They have worked with the theatre company Cryptic, the Royal Ballet School, the cinematographer Herman Kolgen and the Danish String Quartet.

The Maxwell Quartet was officially founded in 2010 whilst the members were postgraduates at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was awarded a residency at Enterprise Music Scotland from 2011 to 2013. Since then, the quartet has held residencies at the University of Oxford, Perth Concert Hall, Music at Paxton and the Lammermuir Festival. The musicians founded their own Loch Shiel Festival in the Scottish West Highlands, curated a concert series at Guardswell Farm in Perthshire, and are artistic directors of the Mendelssohn on Mull Festival.

The quartet studied with the Endellion Quartet as part of the Chamber Studio mentoring programme at King’s Place, and privately with Hatto Beyerle, a founding member of the Alban Berg Quartet, in Hanover. Other mentors included Miguel da Silva (Quatuor Ysaÿe), Erich Höbarth (Quatuor Mosaïques) and Krysztof Chorzelski (Belcea Quartet).

The quartet plays on violins by David Tecchler and Giovanni Batista Rogeri, a viola by J. B. Vuillaume and a cello by Francesco Ruggieri (1670), all of which have been provided by generous patrons. They also play on modern instruments made by the British instrument makers Roger Hansell, John Dilworth and David Rattray.