Formed ten years ago under the guidance of renowned clarinetist David Krakauer and violinist Isodore Cohen at the Manhattan School of Music, the Zodiac Trio shortly thereafter became the first American group and the only ensemble with a wind instrument to enter the esteemed Ysaÿe Quartet Chamber Music program at the Paris Superior Conservatory. The … Continue reading Zodiac Trio →

Members of the Pacifica Quartet may live in Indiana—where they serve as quartet-in-residence at the Jacobs School of Music and as resident performing artists at the nearby University of Chicago—but their accomplishments range far beyond these state’s borders, including our own Coleman Competition: the Russell Award in 1995 and the 50th Anniversary Prize in 1996. … Continue reading Pacifica Quartet →

Named for the Czech composer, the Pavel Haas Quartet returns to Coleman to take us to Prague, where in 1878 Smetana’s Quartet No. 1 was given a private premiere with Antonin Dvoˇrák as violist. The Quartet’s recent recording of this work is one of three nominated in the chamber category for the 2016 BBC Music … Continue reading Pavel Haas Quartet →

• DOWNLOAD THE PROGRAM FOR THIS CONCERT Our musical tour concludes with a visit to Shostakovich’s Russia and a return to Beethoven’s incomparable late quartets—three of which, including Op. 132, were commissioned by Prince Nikolai Galitzin in St. Petersburg. He agreed to Beethoven’s requested fee of 50 ducats each… the last two finally paid to … Continue reading Dover Quartet →

The best storytellers display an infectious passion. And the Heath Quartet—which in 2013 became the first ensemble in 15 years to win the Royal Philharmonic Society’s Young Artists Award— exemplifies this. The ensemble performs, says The Telegraph, “with fierce intelligence and feeling, passion and virtuosity.” The members’ commitment to chamber music has led them far … Continue reading Heath Quartet →

The history of the Juilliard String Quartet with Coleman is a story in itself. This will be the Quartet’s 21st appearance, the first of which took place at the Pasadena Playhouse in 1951. Founded in 1946, the Quartet recently celebrated its 70th anniversary, and also welcomed its newest member, cellist Astrid Schween. In 2011, the Quartet … Continue reading Juilliard String Quartet →

Master storytellers are open and authentic. We, in turn, open to them; we connect. The St. Lawrence String Quartet is a master, as noted by Alex Ross of The New Yorker: “The St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take … Continue reading St. Lawrence String Quartet →

In its 34 years, the Schubert Ensemble has become renowned as a proponent of music for piano and strings. Yes, the Ensemble’s repertoire includes Schubert, but it also includes virtually every major work for piano quartet. Among its more than 30 acclaimed CDs the Dvořák disc and the more recent of two Ensecu discs for … Continue reading Schubert Ensemble →

Storytellers make words speak. They also know that beyond the words they speak, their delivery is crucial. The Jerusalem Quartet has certainly mastered its delivery. Since 1996, this Israeli ensemble has been ‘making strings speak’ on prominent concert stages throughout the US and Europe. Its goal, however, extends far beyond this: to achieve, it says, … Continue reading Jerusalem Quartet →

Some musical stories have texts, and soprano Dawn Upshaw joins the Brentano Quartet to sing them. “You couldn’t tear your eyes away from Upshaw’s presentation as she inhabited the moods and characters of these poetic texts,” wrote the Cincinnati Enquirer, “She was an involved storyteller, bringing meaning to each word of text.” The Brentano Quartet sings … Continue reading Brentano Quartet with Dawn Upshaw, soprano →