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University of Cambridge

Open: Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm

We are closed on Bank Holiday Mondays.

On Friday 18 September, the Kettle’s Yard will be closed for a private event.

The lift is currently out of order due to a technical fault. We are working to fix this as quickly as possible, and apologise for any inconvenience.

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Open: Tuesday–Sunday, 11am–5pm

We are closed on Bank Holiday Mondays.

On Friday 18 September, the Kettle’s Yard will be closed for a private event.

The lift is currently out of order due to a technical fault. We are working to fix this as quickly as possible, and apologise for any inconvenience.

Maxwell Quartet

The Maxwell Quartet combines a refined approach to classical works with a passion for their own folk heritage and a commitment to expanding the string quartet repertoire through wide-ranging projects. Friends since they met playing in youth orchestras in Scotland, the players’ tight bond shows through in compelling musical interpretations and their joyous communication with audiences.

Strongly connected to their own Scottish roots, the group often performs classical repertoire and new music alongside folk-inspired works. The quartet’s first two releases on Linn Records paired string quartets by Haydn with the players’ own compositions, based on Scottish folk music, the first reaching number three in the classical specialist charts. They recently gave the world premiere of a new commission by Linda Buckley with bagpiper Brìghde Chaimbeul, touring to Celtic Connections and across Europe. They also continue to tour Worksongs, a project exploring the folk songs and cultures of Scotland’s historic industries, including the jute and tweed trades. Their 2023 CD Gather brought together traditional Scottish music ranging from 1200 to the present day, such as ancient Celtic plainchant, fishermen’s songs, pipe marches and Shetland Reels, as well as new compositions. They have also worked with soul duo Lunir and folk duo Chris Stout & Catriona MacKay.

The quartet performs at UK venues such as Wigmore Hall, Purcell Room, Queen’s Hall, Edinburgh, and Perth Concert Hall, and across Europe, including at Berlin Konzerthaus, Concertgebouw Amsterdam, Tivoli Copenhagen, Muziekgebouw Amsterdam, and Rheingau, Just Classik, Wonderfeel, Lammermuir, and St Magnus festivals. Since their debut American tour in 2019, which sold out venues in New York, Florida, California and Washington, the quartet has toured the US annually. In the 2025–26 season the quartet makes its debuts at Carnegie Hall and The Frick Collection in New York. Passionate about collaborating with other musicians and art forms, the players work with a global roster of artists and institutions, including theatre company Cryptic, installation artists Wintour’s Leap, Royal Ballet School, cinematographer Herman Kolgen, Danish String Quartet, Calidore Quartet, pianist Imogen Cooper, clarinettist Kari Krikku and baritone Roderick Williams. In 2026 they premiere a new commission by Eleanor Alberga at Muziekgebouw Amsterdam and Dublin International Music Festival.

Photo: Louise Mather