Aeolus Quartet
String Quartet
String Quartet
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BIOGRAPHY
Nicholas Tavani & Rachel Shapiro, violins
Caitlin Lynch, viola
Alan Richardson, cello
Praised by the Baltimore Sun for combining “smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery,” the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks and new cutting-edge works to widely diverse audiences with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor.
Aeolus Quartet formed in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Since its inception, the all-American quartet has been awarded prizes at nearly every major competition in the United States and performed across the globe with showings “worthy of a major-league quartet” (Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News). Luke Quinton of the Austin-American Statesman writes, “The Aeolus Quartet is a powerful and thoughtful group of young musicians who are plotting an ascending course…this vibrant group shows great promise.”
Most recently, Aeolus Quartet has begun “Bach For All,” a project commenced in response to the unparalleled challenges many are facing in 2020 that will share a recording of a Bach chorale by the quartet each week to support and celebrate the strength and goodness of humanity coming together in the face of adversity. This project quickly branched out into a partnership with Judson Senior Living Communities in Ohio, where Aeolus Quartet will curate a weekly musical experience for residents in Judson’s three retirement communities, and their families. This will include Bach for All recordings, paired with footage from our live concerts before the pandemic. They have also partnered with Reading Hospital Rehabilitation in Wyomissing, PA to bring music directly to patients each week. These patients will be able to start their weeks with Bach for All using an iPad brought directly to their rooms. You can follow the quartet’s Bach For All project on their Facebook page.
2019-20 season highlights include performances at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the University of Texas, Austin, Cornell University, Fairmont Chamber Music Society, University of Missouri-Columbia, NYC’s Bohemian National Hall, California Baptist University, and Friends of Chamber Music Reading. In addition to extensive touring throughout the United States in the 2019-2020 season, the Quartet will be featured at the Artosphere Festival hosted by the Walton Arts Center, as well as in the premiere of a new chamber opera at NYC’s Prototype Festival.
In the 2018-19 season, Aeolus Quartet performed Dvorak’s American Quartet at Merkin Hall, pieces by James Scott Balentine and Jon Deak at Scrag Mountain Music, dates at the Music at Kohl Mansion Series and Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and with the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C. They additionally held an Art Education Event and Performance at Pro Musica Joplin.
The Quartet has also performed across North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (as part of the Great Performer’s Series), Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Reinberger Recital Hall at Severance Hall, Merkin Hall, The Library of Congress, Renwick Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. The Quartet was also recently featured on the hit Netflix show The Defenders.
The Aeolus Quartet have been Grand Prizewinners of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. They were awarded First Prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, a Silver Medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and a Bronze Medal at the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in New England. The Austin Critics’ Table named the Aeolus Quartet their 2010-2011 “Best Ensemble,” and their 2016-17 “Best Touring Performance” for Rambunctious, a collaboration with Spectrum Dance Theater. The Aeolus Quartet has released two critically acclaimed albums of classical and contemporary works through the Longhorn/Naxos label which are available on iTunes, Amazon, and major retailers worldwide.
Dedicated to bringing music into the community, the Aeolus Quartet has been widely recognized for their highly innovative and engaging outreach programs. For the 2015-2016 season, the Quartet was the recipient of a CMA Residency Partnership Grant. Named the 2015-2016 Guarneri Quartet Residency in recognition of Aeolus’ artistic achievement, the project involved extensive outreach and performance at Duke Ellington School for the Arts, the Sitar Arts Center, and George Washington University. The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association awarded the Aeolus their 2013 Educator Award in acknowledgment of the positive impact their educational efforts have had in diverse communities. Additionally, they were awarded the 2012 Lad Prize which culminated in large-scale community engagement work, performing in the Stanford, CA area, and a masterclass residency at Stanford University. The Aeolus Quartet has also served as teaching faculty at Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and Da Camera of Houston’s Music Encounters Program. Working in collaboration with the University of Texas through the Rural Chamber Music Outreach Initiative, the Quartet has presented educational programs and performances in communities throughout the state of Texas.
The Aeolus Quartet has studied extensively with the Miró, Guarneri, and Juilliard Quartets. Other mentors include artists William Preucil, Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Gerhard Schulz, and Mark Steinberg. Members of the Quartet hold degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin, where they served as the first Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence.
The Aeolus Quartet has also held residences at Musica Viva NY, the New Orchestra of Washington (DC), and as the 2013-2015 Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School. They currently make their home in New York City.
NEWS
ACCLAIM
Dusky lyricism from the Aeolus Quartet
“Ricky Ian Gordon’s elegantly impassioned score drew dusky lyricism from the Aeolus Quartet, conducted here by Lidiya Yankovskaya”
– Zachary Woolfe, The New York Times – Related Link
Aeolus Quartet gives dynamic concert for Music in the Great Hall
“What was most rewarding on Sunday was the way the Aelous Quartet combined smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery….
The Aelous players dug into the thorny work with admirable technical clarity, tonal vibrancy and, above all, an appreciation for the dark vein of lyricism running through it. The surging performance communicated richly at every turn.”
– Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun – Related Link
Aeolus Quartet delivers divine Dvorák; Tesla’s Ravel simply perfect in day three of Banff competition
“But perhaps it was Aeolus Quartet who produced the most unexpected performance of all: a highly intelligent, crisp, but deeply considered reading of Dvorák’s Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, a difficult work to pull off on several different levels.
And what a pleasure it was to hear this piece so well performed and to hear Aeolus meet the interpretive, harmonic and formal challenges inherent in the work. The folkloric aspects in the suave and lovely Lento movement, the structural sophistication so typical of late Dvorák which Aeolus brushed aside with enviable ease, and especially the unstinting ensemble panache to exploit those darker chordal sonorities combined with a completely authentic presentation of the Czech folkloric and seemingly inexhaustible rhythmic ideas were all elements fully at the command of a masterful Aeolus Quartet. An overwhelming presentation, especially the ending to the fourth movement — froze me in my seat.”
– Stephan Bonfield, Calgary Herald – Related Link
Aeolus Quartet gets new Rocky River Chamber Music Society year off to vibrant start
“Immediately evident, too, was the Aeolus Quartet’s fully formed personality. A rich and warm tone combined with precise ensemble playing (that managed also to come across as fluid and natural), and an impressive musical intelligence guided every technical and dramatic turn.”
– Mark Satola, Cleveland Plain Dealer – Related Link
Sampling Lincoln Center’s Great Performers With the Aeolus Quartet
– Delarue, New York Music Daily – Related Link
Passionate Aeolus on Music Mountain
“Aeolus’ performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet no. 2 in A minor, Op. 13 (1827) offered the palpable treat of the afternoon…
The audience at august Gordon Hall was ecstatic, hypnotized, demanding a second bow, rising to their feet. While I had sensed slight nervous tension in the players at the opening of the performance, it was clear that they were glowing, relaxed, bathing in that extraordinary aura of something special well-achieved.”
– Kevin T. McEneaney, The Millbrook Independent – Related Link
A dual hymn to the modern in quartet and dance concert at Freer|Sackler
“Though the musical selection ranged from sugary neo-tonality to more discordant asperities, the ensemble’s clean intonation and collaborative spirit showed everything in the best light. Dense, dissonant homophony in Akira Miyoshi’s String Quartet No. 3 (“Constellation in black”) was frenetic and strident, enlivened by contrapuntal lines on which each voice rocketed out of the tumult. Regular shifts of texture sustained interest until the piece evaporated in a mist of harmonics and ethereal notes.”
– Charles T. Downey, Washington Classical Review – Related Link
DISCOGRAPHY
REPERTOIRE
20-21 Season Sample Program
-
Program 1: Dusk
Schubert – String Quartet No. 15 in G Major
-Intermission-
Brahms – Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 (with Romie de Guise-Langois)Program 2: Bartok Cycle
All six Bartok Quartets to be performed across two concerts
*September 26, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of Bartok’s death*Program 3: Murder in Bohemia
Haydn – String Quartet in F Major, Op 77 No. 2
Janacek – String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata”
-Intermission-
Dvorak – String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106
/OR/ Dvorak Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 (with Henry Kramer)Program 4: I Shall Meet Thee Bravely
Beethoven – String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5
Beethoven – String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 No. 11 “Serioso”
-Intermission-
Beethoven – String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 No. 14
*Can include readings from Beethoven’s letters between 1st and 2nd piece*Program 5:
Beethoven – String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5
Timothy Mauthe – Comisssioned Piece
-Intermission-
Dvorak – String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106Program 6:
Haydn – String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2
Timothy Mauthe – Commissioned Piece
-Intermission-
Schubert – String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887
20-21 Season Sample Program
Program 1: Dusk
Schubert – String Quartet No. 15 in G Major
-Intermission-
Brahms – Clarinet Quintet in B Minor, Op. 115 (with Romie de Guise-Langois)Program 2: Bartok Cycle
All six Bartok Quartets to be performed across two concerts
*September 26, 2020 is the 75th anniversary of Bartok’s death*Program 3: Murder in Bohemia
Haydn – String Quartet in F Major, Op 77 No. 2
Janacek – String Quartet No. 1 “Kreutzer Sonata”
-Intermission-
Dvorak – String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106
/OR/ Dvorak Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81 (with Henry Kramer)Program 4: I Shall Meet Thee Bravely
Beethoven – String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5
Beethoven – String Quartet in F Minor, Op. 95 No. 11 “Serioso”
-Intermission-
Beethoven – String Quartet in C-sharp Minor, Op. 131 No. 14
*Can include readings from Beethoven’s letters between 1st and 2nd piece*Program 5:
Beethoven – String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5
Timothy Mauthe – Comisssioned Piece
-Intermission-
Dvorak – String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106Program 6:
Haydn – String Quartet in F Major, Op. 77 No. 2
Timothy Mauthe – Commissioned Piece
-Intermission-
Schubert – String Quartet No. 15 in G Major, D. 887
MEDIA
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PRESS KIT
Video
Documents
Short Biography
Praised by the Baltimore Sun for combining “smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery,” the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks and new, cutting-edge compositions to widely diverse audiences with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor.
Formed in 2008, the Quartet has performed across the globe in venues such as Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and Shanghai Oriental Arts Center.
2019-20 season highlights include performances at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the University of Texas, Austin, Cornell University, Fairmont Chamber Music Society, University of Missouri-Columbia, NYC’s Bohemian National Hall, and in the premiere of a new chamber opera at NYC’s Prototype Festival. The Aeolus Quartet has released two critically acclaimed albums of classical and contemporary works through the Longhorn/Naxos label.
Their competition success includes the Grand Prize in the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, First Prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, and Silver Medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet has studied extensively with the Miró, Guarneri, and Juilliard Quartets. Other mentors include artists such as Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Gerhard Schulz, and Mark Steinberg.
The Aeolus Quartet has held residences at Musica Viva NY, the New Orchestra of Washington (DC), and as the 2013-2015 Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School. They currently make their home in New York City.
Full Biography
Nicholas Tavani & Rachel Shapiro, violins
Caitlin Lynch, viola
Alan Richardson, cello
Praised by the Baltimore Sun for combining “smoothly meshed technique with a sense of spontaneity and discovery,” the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks and new cutting-edge works to widely diverse audiences with equal freshness, dedication, and fervor.
Aeolus Quartet formed in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Since its inception, the all-American quartet has been awarded prizes at nearly every major competition in the United States and performed across the globe with showings “worthy of a major-league quartet” (Scott Cantrell, Dallas Morning News). Luke Quinton of the Austin-American Statesman writes, “The Aeolus Quartet is a powerful and thoughtful group of young musicians who are plotting an ascending course…this vibrant group shows great promise.”
Most recently, Aeolus Quartet has begun “Bach For All,” a project commenced in response to the unparalleled challenges many are facing in 2020 that will share a recording of a Bach chorale by the quartet each week to support and celebrate the strength and goodness of humanity coming together in the face of adversity. This project quickly branched out into a partnership with Judson Senior Living Communities in Ohio, where Aeolus Quartet will curate a weekly musical experience for residents in Judson’s three retirement communities, and their families. This will include Bach for All recordings, paired with footage from our live concerts before the pandemic. They have also partnered with Reading Hospital Rehabilitation in Wyomissing, PA to bring music directly to patients each week. These patients will be able to start their weeks with Bach for All using an iPad brought directly to their rooms. You can follow the quartet’s Bach For All project on their Facebook page.
2019-20 season highlights include performances at the Santa Barbara Museum of Art, the University of Texas, Austin, Cornell University, Fairmont Chamber Music Society, University of Missouri-Columbia, NYC’s Bohemian National Hall, California Baptist University, and Friends of Chamber Music Reading. In addition to extensive touring throughout the United States in the 2019-2020 season, the Quartet will be featured at the Artosphere Festival hosted by the Walton Arts Center, as well as in the premiere of a new chamber opera at NYC’s Prototype Festival.
In the 2018-19 season, Aeolus Quartet performed Dvorak’s American Quartet at Merkin Hall, pieces by James Scott Balentine and Jon Deak at Scrag Mountain Music, dates at the Music at Kohl Mansion Series and Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and with the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C. They additionally held an Art Education Event and Performance at Pro Musica Joplin.
The Quartet has also performed across North America, Europe, and Asia in venues such as the David Rubenstein Atrium at Lincoln Center (as part of the Great Performer’s Series), Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, Reinberger Recital Hall at Severance Hall, Merkin Hall, The Library of Congress, Renwick Gallery, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. The Quartet was also recently featured on the hit Netflix show The Defenders.
The Aeolus Quartet have been Grand Prizewinners of the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. They were awarded First Prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, a Silver Medal at the Fischoff International Chamber Music Competition, and a Bronze Medal at the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in New England. The Austin Critics’ Table named the Aeolus Quartet their 2010-2011 “Best Ensemble,” and their 2016-17 “Best Touring Performance” for Rambunctious, a collaboration with Spectrum Dance Theater. The Aeolus Quartet has released two critically acclaimed albums of classical and contemporary works through the Longhorn/Naxos label which are available on iTunes, Amazon, and major retailers worldwide.
Dedicated to bringing music into the community, the Aeolus Quartet has been widely recognized for their highly innovative and engaging outreach programs. For the 2015-2016 season, the Quartet was the recipient of a CMA Residency Partnership Grant. Named the 2015-2016 Guarneri Quartet Residency in recognition of Aeolus’ artistic achievement, the project involved extensive outreach and performance at Duke Ellington School for the Arts, the Sitar Arts Center, and George Washington University. The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association awarded the Aeolus their 2013 Educator Award in acknowledgment of the positive impact their educational efforts have had in diverse communities. Additionally, they were awarded the 2012 Lad Prize which culminated in large-scale community engagement work, performing in the Stanford, CA area, and a masterclass residency at Stanford University. The Aeolus Quartet has also served as teaching faculty at Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth (EPGY), the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and Da Camera of Houston’s Music Encounters Program. Working in collaboration with the University of Texas through the Rural Chamber Music Outreach Initiative, the Quartet has presented educational programs and performances in communities throughout the state of Texas.
The Aeolus Quartet has studied extensively with the Miró, Guarneri, and Juilliard Quartets. Other mentors include artists William Preucil, Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, Gerhard Schulz, and Mark Steinberg. Members of the Quartet hold degrees from the Peabody Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, and the University of Texas at Austin, where they served as the first Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence.
The Aeolus Quartet has also held residences at Musica Viva NY, the New Orchestra of Washington (DC), and as the 2013-2015 Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School. They currently make their home in New York City.
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