The Artaria String Quartet

A warm, rich sound is the hallmark of the Artaria String Quartet. Now celebrating their twenty fifth season, Artaria’s refined and thoughtful playing has brought them critical acclaim in celebrated venues throughout the United States, Canada, and in Europe. Formed in Boston, and mentored by members of the legendary Budapest, La Salle, Kolisch, and Juilliard quartets, the Artaria String Quartet is firmly rooted in the tradition of chamber music performance and education. They have been featured on Peter Jennings World News Tonight, have given numerous live performances on WGBH Boston and Minnesota Public Radio stations, and have performed at celebrated venues across the United States including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Alexander Schneider concert series in New York City, the Dame Myra Hess series in Chicago, and the Phillips Collection and Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. They have also been featured at the Banff Centre in Canada, Festival de L'Epau in France, and the Tanglewood Music Center. They are winners of the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians and the Boston Globe has described them as "exquisitely balanced and sonorous" and that "their musical understanding was first-rate".

In 2001, the ASQ moved to St. Paul, MN where they have established an inviting four-concert series set in the intimate acoustic of Sundin Music Hall at Hamline University; as well as the Artaria Chamber Music School at the historical Episcopal Church of St. John on Summit Hill where they are ensemble-in-residence; the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, the only national event of its kind; and Stringwood, a summer chamber music festival set in picturesque Lanesboro, MN.

The highlight of Artaria’s 2011-2012 performance season is their presentation of Part 1 of the entire cycle of Dmitri Shostakovich’s fifteen string quartets at the invitation of the Schubert Club, Minnesota’s finest performing arts organization. This is the first time the cycle has been presented in Minnesota. Part 2 will be offered during the 2012-2013 season.

Nationally recognized as dynamic teachers and for their commitment to education, the Artaria String Quartet is sponsored by The National Endowment for the Arts, Chamber Music America, the Heartland Fund, Midori’s Partners in Performance, and the Minnesota Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund, serving as Arts Ambassadors in rural communities and underserved schools.

The Artaria String Quartet is also a staunch advocate of contemporary composers. With the American Composers Forum, League ISCM, and through their own initiative, they have premiered a wide array of new works and have numerous dedications to their credit. The quartet's performances are recorded on Centaur Records and Aequebis Recordings.