Kirsten Wilbrandt Kjaer (25)

Kirsten Kjær (b. 1999) is a violist currently studying in the soloist class at the Royal Danish Academy of Music with her string quartet, AKELA. In 2023, she was awarded the Carl Nielsen and Anne Marie Carl Nielsen Talent Prize, and in 2024 she received the Sonning Talent Prize along with AKELA.

Kirsten has studied with Lars Anders Tomter, Tim Frederiksen, and Asbjørn Nørgaard in Copenhagen, and with Jennifer Stumm in Vienna. She is highly active in the Danish music scene, has participated in festivals and masterclasses both nationally and internationally, and has served as an assistant in regional orchestras. In addition, Kirsten has initiated a number of independent projects exploring the intersection between text and music.

As a member of the string quartet AKELA, Kirsten is active on the Danish chamber music scene – most recently with prominent quartet performances at the Academy Concert Hall and Tivoli Concert Hall.

AKELA aims to present diverse types of concerts, which in the autumn of 2023 included leadership talks with Uffe Savery, concerts and tours in connection with the 50th anniversary of the Sankt Annæ Girls' Choir, performances at music societies and festivals, and a wide range of school concerts in collaboration with Levende Musik i Skolerne, reaching over 1,300 children. Upcoming projects in 2024 include a tour to China, the recording of two microtonal string quartets by Sune Kølster (one composed for AKELA), more school concerts, and a meditation concert series in collaboration with the European initiative MERITA.

AKELA has participated in numerous masterclasses with, among others, Hatto Beyerle (Alban Berg Quartet), Johannes Meisl (Artis Quartett), and the Danish String Quartet, and has won first prizes in several international competitions.

Kirsten Kjær has previously received generous support from the Augustinus Foundation, the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces, Bente Calberg’s Travel Grant, the Margrethe Axelsen Foundation, and the Tuborg Foundation.