Nikolai is the loudest in the quartet – with no microphone accessible at the concert venue, we typically hand the spotlight to Nikolai, whose powerful voice guarantees the audience will not miss our introduction to the upcoming performance.

As the youngest member of the ensemble, Nikolai loves to tease the older ones, just like a little brother would do. If we’ve left the rehearsal room unattended, we can be sure Nikolai has hidden something of ours, forcing us into a game of “hot and cold” to find it. And if you ask him for one tissue, he’ll hand you twelve and won’t stop.
His childlike soul also shines through sometimes: he loves and collects Pokémon toys. Well – anything related to Pokémon – which therefore makes him the easiest person to buy gifts for.

Nikolai believes he lives in the suburbs because he has to bike a whole 25 minutes to our rehearsals. He might not be the sportiest person in the group, but he makes up for it by being the official choreographer of the quartet, throwing in weird dance moves during the grooviest moments of our rehearsals.

In the mornings, Nikolai is a grumpy guy. However, his day gets brighter as it gets darker outside. If someone asks if they would like to have a beer, you can be 99.8% sure Nikolai will say yes. The 00.2% chance for a ‘no’ is if he has an exciting Lego building project waiting for him at home. Not only during Lego project is Nikolai a hardworking craftsman, but also in the work within our quartet. Over the years, he has truly embraced the role of the middle voice – knowing when to blend, when to stand out, and when to fake. An essential quality to be acting as the glue within the ensemble!

Nikolai plays on a violin by David Tecchler from 1706 on loan from the Augustinus Foundation.