American String Quartet
Instrumental Focus
- violin
- viola
- cello
The American String Quartet, internationally recognized as one of the world’s finest quartets, has spent decades honing the luxurious sound for which it is famous. The Quartet has performed in all fifty states and concert halls worldwide, and will celebrate its 45th anniversary in 2019. The group’s presentations of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Schubert, Schoenberg, Bartók, and Mozart have won widespread critical acclaim. The American has also given numerous premieres, including quartets by Richard Danielpour and Tobias Picker. Their diverse activities have included international radio and television broadcasts, tours of Asia, and performances with the New York City Ballet, the Montreal Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The Quartet holds an extensive discography; their forthcoming CD, American Romantics, will be released in July 2018 and include works by Dvořák, Sirota, and Barber. Formed when its original members were students at The Juilliard School, the American String Quartet’s career began with the group winning both the Coleman Competition and the Naumburg Award in the same year. Resident quartet at the Aspen Music Festival since 1974 and at the Manhattan School of Music in New York since 1984, the American has also served as resident quartet at the Taos School of Music, the Peabody Conservatory, and the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.