The Michelangelo Quartet was formed in 2002 by four musicians distinguished as soloists, chamber musicians and teachers, who share an irresistible desire to play together the greatest repertoire of all. Since their first concert season, 2003/4, they have toured regularly in Scandinavia, Benelux, the UK, Germany, Italy and Japan, giving concerts in major halls such as the Concertgebouw, Amsterdam, Théâtre des Champs Elysées, Paris, Tonhalle, Zürich, and London’s Wigmore Hall. Festival appearances have included Edinburgh, Sion, Naantali, Hardanger, the Pablo Casals Festival, Prades, and the Delft and New Zealand Chamber Music Festivals. During the 5 years of its existence, critics have consistently praised the quartet for the collective virtuosity and experience of its members, as well as their musicality and intensity of feeling. They have recently embarked on a project to record all the Beethoven Quartets for Pan Classics.

Romanian violinist Mihaela Martin has continued, through her teacher Stefan Gheorghiu, a violinistic line including David Oistrakh and Georges Enesco. Major prizes in the Tchaikovsky Competition and the First Indianapolis International Violin Competition, ensured her international career. Her chamber music partners have included Martha Argerich, Yuri Bashmet, Elisabeth Leonskaja, Nobuko Imai, Leon Fleischer & Menahim Pressler. She is a professor at the Musikhochschule, Cologne.

Stephan Picard studied with Saschko Gawriloff, Stefan Gheorghiu, and Roman Nodel. He was a major prizewinner in the national "Jugend musiziert" competition, the International Maria Canals violin competition in Barcelona, the Premio Rodolfo Lipizer in Gorizia, Italy, and the German Music Competition, as a result of which he gave numerous solo and chamber music concerts and recorded for radio and TV. In 1995 he was appointed Professor of Violin at the Hanns Eisler Academy of Music in Berlin.

Former Vermeer Quartet member, Japanese-born Nobuko Imai is considered one of the most outstanding viola players of our time. After studying at the Toho School of Music, Yale University and the Julliard School, she won high prizes at the Munich and Geneva International Competitions. Distinguished chamber music collaborators include Gidon Kremer, Midori, Itzhak Perlman, Yo Yo Ma, Andras Schiff and Ronald Brautigam. She holds professorships at the Amsterdam Conservatory and in Geneva.

Combining his love of chamber music with a solo career, Swedish cellist/conductor Frans Helmerson has performed with leading conductors and orchestras and at important international festivals. During the 1970's he was principal 'cellist of the Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra, where he received important musical influences from Celibidache. William Pleeth and Rostropovich have also been important influences. He holds a professorship at the Musikhochschule in Cologne.