Ébène Quartet Concludes SFP Chamber Series

The acclaimed French ensemble returns to San Francisco with a new cellist and a program spanning Beethoven, Debussy, and Brahms.

Apr. 17, 2026 at 3:13pm by

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An abstract, minimalist composition featuring bold, jagged shapes and high-contrast colors, conceptually representing the energy and artistry of a string quartet performance.The Ébène Quartet's dynamic chamber music performance captivates San Francisco audiences with its nuanced interpretations of classical masterworks.San Francisco Today

The Ébène Quartet, a renowned French chamber ensemble, concluded the San Francisco Performances Chamber Series with a concert at Herbst Theatre. The program featured works by Beethoven, Debussy, and Brahms, showcasing the group's versatility and interpretive skills despite a lineup change with a new cellist, Yuya Okamoto, joining violinists Pierre Colombet and Gabriel Le Magadure, and violist Hélène Clément.

Why it matters

The Ébène Quartet's return to San Francisco is a highlight for local classical music fans, as the ensemble is known for its dynamic and insightful performances of the chamber repertoire. The concert provided an opportunity to hear seminal works by three towering composers in an intimate setting, with the Debussy quartet serving as the centerpiece.

The details

The program opened with Beethoven's String Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, showcasing the ensemble's technical prowess and interpretive flair. The centerpiece was Debussy's sole string quartet, which the reviewer described as a 'bolt of lightning' that seized the audience's attention through its nuanced and rhetorical diversity. The concert concluded with Brahms' String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51, a work the reviewer admitted he should pay more attention to.

  • The concert took place on the evening of April 16, 2026 at Herbst Theatre in San Francisco.
  • This was the final performance in the 2025-2026 San Francisco Performances Chamber Series.

The players

Ébène Quartet

A renowned French chamber ensemble known for their dynamic and insightful performances of the classical repertoire.

Yuya Okamoto

The new cellist who has joined the Ébène Quartet for their current U.S. tour.

Pierre Colombet

One of the two violinists in the Ébène Quartet.

Gabriel Le Magadure

The other violinist in the Ébène Quartet.

Hélène Clément

The violist substituting for Marie Chilemme in the Ébène Quartet for the current tour.

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What they’re saying

“Even with a substitution in membership, the ensemble could not have been more attuned to the rhetorical diversity mined from Debussy's quartet.”

— Stephen Smoliar, Reviewer

What’s next

For their next visit to San Francisco, the Ébène Quartet may consider performing all three of Benjamin Britten's Divertimenti, of which they played the second as an encore at this concert.

The takeaway

The Ébène Quartet's performance showcased their versatility and interpretive skills, delivering nuanced and engaging renditions of chamber music masterpieces by Beethoven, Debussy, and Brahms. Their return to San Francisco was a highlight for local classical music fans.