What began in 1999 as a distraction in the university's practice rooms for these four young French musicians has become a trademark of the Quatuor Ebène, and has generated lasting reverberations on the music scene.

After studies with the Ysaÿe Quartet in Paris and with Gábor Takács-Nagy, Eberhard Feltz, and György Kurtág, the quartet had an unprecedented victory at the ARD International Music Competition in 2004. This marked the beginning of its rise, which has culminated in numerous prizes and awards.

Quatuor Ebène's concerts are marked by a unique élan. With charismatic playing, a fresh approach to tradition, and open engagement with new forms, the ensemble has had success in reaching a wide audience of young listeners. The quartet members also communicate their knowledge in regular master classes at the Paris Conservatoire.

In 2005, the ensemble won the Belmont Prize of the Forberg-Schneider Foundation. Since then, the foundation has worked closely with the musicians, making it possible for them-since 2009-to play priceless old instruments from private collections.

Quatuor Ebène's CDs, featuring recordings of music by Haydn, Bartók, Debussy, Fauré, Mozart, and the Mendelssohn siblings, have won numerous awards, including the Gramophone Award, ECHO Klassik, BBC Music Magazine Award, and MIDEM Classical Award. The 2010 album Fiction, featuring jazz arrangements, has further solidified Quatuor Ebène's unique position in chamber music, as well as the 2014 crossover CD Brazil. In the fall of 2014, Erato released A 90th Birthday Celebration: Live in Paris, a live CD and DVD of the ensemble's birthday celebration concert for Menahem Pressler. The quartet has collaborated with Philippe Jaroussky on the CD Green: Melodies françaises on Poems by Paul Verlaine, which won the 2016 BBC Music Magazine Award, and released a CD of Schubert lieder with Matthias Goerne and the composer's String Quintet with cellist Gautier Capuçon.

In the 2016-2017 season, the quartet's concerts include performances at the Elbphilharmonie in Hamburg and Philharmonie Luxembourg, as well as at the Salzburger Festspiele and the Menuhin Festival Gstaad.