Swedish Norwegian string quartet Opus 13 have been awarded First Prize at the 16^th Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. The quartet also took home five of the Competition’s specialist prizes.

Founded in 2014 at the Barratt Due Institute of Music in Oslo, Opus13 is comprised of violinists Sonoko Miriam Welde and Edvard Erdal, violist Albin Uusijärvi and cellist Daniel Thorell. Opus13's First Prize includes a £10,000 cash award, alongside an extensive package of performance opportunities, including a Wigmore Hall recital and UK tour, residencies in the United States and Canada, and an invitation to perform at the fifth String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam in 2026.

The Final, held at Wigmore Hall on 6 April 2025, saw three finalist quartets perform complete Beethoven String Quartets in front of a public audience and an international jury comprising members of five leading string quartets. The jury was chaired by Wigmore Hall’s Artistic and Executive Director, John Gilhooly. The Second Prize (£6,000) was awarded to the Terra String Quartet and Third Prize (£3,000) to Quartet Integra.

John Gilhooly, Wigmore Hall Director and Chairman of the jury said: ‘This competition remains a vital platform for the most promising young string quartets worldwide. We were delighted to award First Prize to Opus13, whose performance in the Final was both technically superb and emotionally compelling. Congratulations to our winners and to all the quartets taking part, whose performances over the past week have been superb.’

The 2025 Competition ran from 1-6 April, with four days of preliminary rounds held at the Royal Academy of Music’s Duke’s Hall, followed by the semi-finals and final at Wigmore Hall. Each round was live-streamed free of charge by Wigmore Hall on its website, and they remain available to watch at here.