Goethe String Quartet

Inspired by Goethe’s description of string quartet playing as “a conversation between four intelligent people,” the Goethe String Quartet is an international ensemble rapidly establishing a reputation as one of Europe’s most exciting string quartets.

Hailed for their “unparalleled passion and intensity” (Seen & Heard International, 2026), the quartet comprises Luke Hsu and Laura Rickard, violins; Marthe Husum, viola; and Rainer Crosett, cello. The ensemble has appeared at festivals across the UK, Europe, and the United States, performing repertoire from Haydn to Berg and contemporary music. In 2025, they were featured at the Presteigne Festival in Wales, where they gave the critically acclaimed premiere of Eleanor Alberga’s Glimpses & Glances.

For their Wellesley College recital, the program will include a world premiere of a new composition written for the Goethe String Quartet by Reinaldo Moya and works by Eleanor Alberga and Ludwig van Beethoven.

Inspired by the writings of Goethe, Moya’s quartet includes a central movement, Farbkreis, reflecting on Goethe’s theory of the color wheel. Moya’s work is paired with String Quartet No. 2 by renowned British-Jamaican composer Eleanor Alberga, with whom the quartet shares a close artistic relationship, and one of Beethoven’s beloved Razumovsky Quartets – Op. 59, No. 2.

This event is free and open to the public.