Sun Aug 11 23:47We had a great time at the Summer Chamber Orchestra Intensive! Thanks to all the faculty, staff, students and audie… READ MORE...
Tue Jun 25 16:57Dear friends in the New York State area, we're performing tonight at the Mostly Modern Festival at Skidmore College… READ MORE...
January 12, 2022Exciting New Commission for the 50th Anniversary of Fischoff!We are thrilled to announce that the Euclid Quartet will be premiering a new Concerto for String Quartet and Orchestra by highly sought-after composer Anna Clyne, commissioned by the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association in partnership with the South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Fischoff is celebrating an impressive 50 years as a pioneering force in the arts and the host of the country's largest Chamber Music Competition. We are honored that our longstanding partnerships with Fischoff and the South Bend Symphony will be showcased in their 50th Anniversary celebrations. The new work will be performed in 2023 at Notre Dame's beautiful DeBartolo Hall under the direction of Maestro Alastair Willis.
Wednesday, August 18, 2021Euclid Quartet Welcomes New Member!We're very excited to announce our new violinist member, Aviva Hakanoglu, coming from Pittsburgh, PA! Welcome Aviva to the Euclid Quartet!
October 27, 2017Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga SpringsWe are delighted to be performing and teaching at Mostly Modern Festival in Saratoga Springs, NY. This festival will run from the 4th to the 18th of June of 2018. We will be performing a brand new work written for the Euclid Quartet by Robert Paterson. In addition we will be performing the String Quartet No. 2 by David del Tredici, works by MMF student composers and selections from Wynton Marsalis ' "At The Octoroon Balls " as featured in our latest CD release "American Quartets." We are thrilled to be joining a wonderful roster of faculty artists, performers and teachers at this exciting new festival. Applications are now being accepted!
The EUCLID QUARTET enjoys one of the most highly regarded reputations of any chamber ensemble of its generation, with its members’ constituting a multinational mix: violinist Jameson Cooper (Great Britain), violinist Aviva Hakanoglu (United States), violist Luis Enrique Vargas (Venezuela), cellist Chris Wild (Canada). Captivating audiences and critics ranging from Carnegie Hall to school classrooms to radio and television broadcasts, the quartet consistently performs to enthusiastic acclaim throughout the country.
Formed in Ohio in 1998, the Euclid Quartet takes its name from the famous Euclid Avenue in Cleveland, home to a wealth of renowned artistic and cultural institutions. Within three years, the ensemble was awarded the String Quartet Fellowship of the Aspen Music Festival, where it was invited to return for the subsequent summer’s concert season. The quartet was also invited to study with the Emerson String Quartet at the Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop.
Highlights of the Euclid Quartet’s career include significant global recognition as the first American string quartet to be awarded a top prize at the prestigious Osaka International Chamber Music Competition. Prior to its Japanese laurels, the quartet also won awards in numerous United States competitions, including the Hugo Kauder International Competition for String Quartets, The Carmel Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. In 2009, the Euclid Quartet was awarded the esteemed “American Masterpieces” grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
The Euclid is a frequent guest ensemble at American and Canadian music festivals, among them the Mostly Modern Festival, Aspen, Great Lakes, Kent/Blossom and Orford festivals, while expanded programs have included collaborations with internationally renowned artists, including James Dunham, Gregory Fulkerson, Warren Jones, Paul Katz, Joseph Silverstein and Alexander Toradze. As passionate advocates for new music, the Euclid Quartet has commissioned and premiered contemporary works by numerous notable composers including Robert Paterson, Armando Bayolo, Jorge Muniz and Dan Welcher.
In 2007, the Euclid Quartet was appointed to the prestigious string quartet residency at Indiana University South Bend, where its members teach private lessons and coach chamber music. Passionately devoted to presenting the highest quality chamber music to young audiences, these seasoned teaching artists have performed for thousands of students and young adults, in part through support from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborations with Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association.
Active in the recording studio, the Euclid Quartet issued, most recently, a disc of Dvořák and Winton Marsalis on Afinat Records. The Strad Magazine praised the new recording: "The members of the Euclid Quartet hurl themselves into the fray with alacrity, relishing the music's invention with contagious wit and virtuosity." Previous releases include the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók on Artek Recordings. The American Record Guide raved about these discs, “rarely has a group found such meaning and vision.” Their debut CD, on Centaur records, features the first four quartets of Hugo Kauder, a refugee from Nazi-occupied Austria who fled to the United States in the 1940s. He defied the atonal trend of his generation with his uniquely harmonic, contrapuntal style.
"An elegant mix of passion, ferocity and feathery delicacy"Stephen BrookesWashington Post
"The performances are sweeping and detailed, with all of the fierce intensity the music suggests ... the Euclid has triumphed ... Performances of rare commitment and passion."Gramophone
"Rarely has a group found such meaning and vision"American Record Guide
"The Euclid Quartet has demonstrated that it is pure gold in these spectacular performances."allmusic.com
"Their concert performance at Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall had wonderful intensity, insight and communicative strength."Ara GuzelimianSenior Director & Artistic Advisor, Carnegie Hall
"The Euclids played their hearts out for the full house attending their concert at the Flagler Museum ... This foursome reminded me not just of the Emerson but the Tokyo String Quartet, and it might be that they deserve to rank in that august company. The Grieg quartet, in any case, received a brilliant reading, and was met by a well-deserved standing ovation. We were, after all, in the presence of great artistry."Palm Beach Arts Paper
"The quartet played through the Adagio with pathos and the Allegretto with restless vigor, arriving at the end with a gleeful certainty."South Bend Tribune
"The Euclid Quartet has a refined warm, rich tone, precise ensemble, and spot-on intonation. They play with great expression, and the subtle use of gestures [is] always included at the perfect moment and with impeccable good taste."MusicWebInternational.comreview of their début CD, named "CD of the Month"
"The impressiveness of the Euclid Quartet extended to all the styles it performed on Saturday night, when it made its Pittsburgh début ... [Their] emotional and timbral richness ... brought to mind the old-world approach of the Guarneri Quartet ... The Euclid performance was devoted, expert and exhilarating."Pittsburgh Tribune-Review
"Remarkable assurance and sophistication ... virtuosic command of sonority."BerkshireFineArts.com
"Groups selected for this prestigious series [Williamstown Chamber Concerts] uniformly represent the best of the current crop of touring ensembles. The Euclid is no exception ... passion and deep insight ... they'll make their mark as a major ensemble in years to come; they're that good."The Advocate Weekly (Berkshires region)
"The Euclid Quartet performed with romantic élan and a beautiful, lush tone that sounded orchestral at times."Palm Beach Daily News
"The Euclid Quartet rises above mere technical excellence, and performs with openness and joy. They are an energetic group with great focus and personal drive; their performances are impassioned, musical and communicative."James Dunhamformer violist of the Cleveland Quartet
“Fervent involvement in the scores.”Lincoln (Nebraska) Journal Star
"Debussy likewise must be executed well, as many Friends patrons nearly have the war horse memorized. The Euclid's sparkling energy was evident in the opening section, and the ensemble kept the energy through the ravishing third movement, into the fast-moving finale."John CutlerJournal Star
“Groups selected for this prestigious series [Williamstown Chamber Concerts] uniformly represent the best of the current crop of touring ensembles. The Euclid is no exception...passion and deep insight...they’ll make their mark as a major ensemble in years to come; they’re that good.”The Advocate Weekly
"The Euclid Quartet played the work [Mozart K. 589] with elegance and grace fit for a king."W. Gerald CochranClassical Voice of North Carolina
“The Euclid Quartet played the phrases fearlessly, with great surges of energy.”Stephen RodgersChamber Music Magazine
Upcoming Performances
Friday, March 11, 2022 Euclid Quartet and Friends Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN Schubert Cello Quintet in C Major, D. 956
Euclid Quartet and cellist Bruce Uchimura
Mendelssohn Octet featuring students from Indiana University South Bend
Monday, March 14, 2022 Euclid Quartet and Friends Dalton Center Recital Hall Kalamazoo, MI Schubert Cello Quintet in C Major, D. 956
Euclid Quartet and cellist Bruce Uchimura
Mendelssohn Octet featuring students from Indiana University South Bend
Sunday, March 20, 2022 Chamber Music Society of Utica, NY Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute, Auditorium Utica, NY Robert Paterson: String Quartet #2
Franz Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist
Tuesday, April 12, 2022 Williams College Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall Williamstown, MA Debussy: String Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist
Sunday, May 15, 2022 FRIENDS OF MUSIC OF STAMFORD, NY Stamford United Methodist Church Stamford, NY Debussy: String Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist
Friday, November 19, 2021 Euclid Quartet concert at Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall more info...
Friday, September 17, 2021 Euclid Quartet concert at Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall more info...
Sunday, May 17, 2020 FRIENDS OF MUSIC OF STAMFORD, NY Stamford United Methodist Church STAMFORD, NY
Sunday, May 03, 2020 CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF UTICA (NY) Museum of Art Auditorium Utica, NY Debussy: String Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist more info...
Wednesday, April 15, 2020 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - #6 Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN String Quartets #6, 13, Große Fuge
Monday, April 06, 2020 The Four Arts Club Elkhart Country Club Bristol, IN
Friday, March 18, 2020 Masterclass at Williams College more info...
Thursday, March 19, 2020 WILLIAMS COLLEGE Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall Wlliamstown, MA Debussy: String Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist
Thursday, March 05, 2020 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - #5 LangLab South Bend South Bend, IN String Quartets #4, 8, 10
Tuesday, February 11, 2020 HENRY MORRISON FLAGLER MUSEUM The Music Room Palm Beach, FL Beethoven: String Quartet #7
Debussy: String Quartet
Thursday, January 23, 2020 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - #4 SAINT MARY’S COLLEGE (South Bend, IN) Little Theatre, Moreau String Quartets #2, 7, 14 more info...
Tuesday, December 10, 2019 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - #3 Little Theatre, Moreau Center for the Arts at Saint Mary's Colle String Quartets #9, 12 more info...
Thursday, November 14, 2019 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle - #2 LangLab South Bend, IN String Quartets #5, 11, 16 more info...
Friday, November 08, 2019 Piano Series at Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall more info...
Sunday, November 03, 2019 ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH Ashtabula, OH
Sunday, October 27, 2019 CHAMBER MUSIC SOCIETY OF BETHLEHEM (PA) Foy Concert Hall, Moravian College Bethlehem, PA Paterson: String Quartet #2
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist more info...
Saturday, October 26, 2019 A Journey from West to East Benzaquen Hall, DiMenna Center for Classical Music New York, NY Shostakovich's Piano Quintet
Mozart's Viola Quintet in G minor
Beethoven's String Quartet Op.95 "Serioso" more info...
Friday, October 25, 2019 HOUGHTON COLLEGE (NY) Wesley Chapel Houghton, NY Debussy: String Quartet
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist more info...
Sunday, October 20, 2019 SOUTH WINDSOR CULTURAL ARTS SERIES (CT) First Congregational Church of South Windsor Beethoven: String Quartet #11
Schubert: String Quintet
with Adrian Daurov, cellist
Thursday, September 05, 2019 Complete Beethoven String Quartet Cycle Concert #1 Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN Beethoven quartets Nos. 1, 3 and 15 (Opp. 18 No. 1 and No. 3 and Op. 132) more info...
Sunday, August 18, 2019 Buchanan Arts Center Concert Series Buchanan Arts Center 117 W Front St. Buchanan, MI
Wednesday, August 14, 2019 String Leadership Camp at Grand Valley State University Haas Center for Performing Arts » 1325 - Sherman Van Solkema Ha Allendale, MI more info...
Tuesday, June 25, 2019 Mostly Modern Music Festival Arthur Zankel Music Center, Skidmore College World premiere of Rob Paterson's String Quartet No. 2. Program to include Debussy's String Quartet and premieres by participants of the festival more info...
Friday, May 10, 2019 Collaboration with the Ensemble CONCEPT/21 Campus Auditorium at Indiana University South Bend The Tower and the Garden by Gregory Spears and the world premiere of "Beatitudes" by Dr. Jorge Muniz
Thursday, April 25, 2019 Ultreia, Inc LangLab South Bend
Thursday, April 11, 2019 Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall Indiana University South Bend World premiere works by Armando Bayolo and Ryan Olivier. Other works by Rob Paterson and Claude Debussy.
Friday, April 05, 2019 Collaboration with the Ensemble CONCEPT/21 Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall Indiana University South Bend
Sunday, March 17, 2019 Levine School 2801 Upton St NW, Washington, DC
Friday, March 01, 2019 Anthony Dean Griffey, tenor, with Warren Jones, piano and the Eu LaBar Recital Hall, University of Notre Dame, more info...
Wednesday, February 06, 2019 Euclid Quartet concert with guest pianist Tanya Gabrielian Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall at India more info...
Friday, February 01, 2019 Music for Food Indiana Little Theater, Moreau Center for the Arts, Saint Mary's College more info...
Thursday, January 31, 2019 (POSTPONED TO FEB 6) Euclid Quartet concert with guest pianist T Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall at India South Bend, IN 46615 W. A. Mozart's String Quartet No. 14 in G Major, KV 387
Robert Schumann' s Quintet in Eb Major, Op 44 for Piano and Strings (with pianist Tanya Gabrielian) more info...
Friday, November 30, 2018 Euclid Quartet with pianist Ketevan Badridze The Pianoforte Foundation of Chicago Chicago, IL more info...
Sunday, November 11, 2018 Euclid Quartet and friends, featuring violist Alicia Valoti Indiana University South Bend, Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. South Bend, IN 46615 more info...
Saturday, November 03, 2018 Euclid Quartet and Tasha Warren (clarinet) Cook Recital Hall, Michigan State University East Lansing, MI more info...
Sunday, October 28, 2018 Rieth Chamber Series Rieth Recital Hall, Goshen College Goshen, IN 46526 more info...
Thursday, October 25, 2018 Fall Concert Series at the Ruthmere Museum Ruthmere Museum Elkhart, IN more info...
Saturday, June 09, 2018 Mostly Modern Music Festival Zankel Performing Arts Center, Skidmore College Saratoga Springs, NY more info...
Sunday, February 25, 2018 Euclid Quartet performs with the South Bend Youth Orchestra John Adams High School South Bend, IN 46615
Tuesday, February 13, 2018 Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN
Friday, January 19, 2018 Faculty collaboration Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN Mozart's Piano Quartet in G Minor, K.478 and Schumann's Piano Quartet in Eb Major, Op. 47 more info...
Friday, October 27, 2017 Newport Music Festival (Rhose Island) Newport, RI more info...
Tuesday, August 1, 2017 Chicago Rush Hour Concert Series Saint James Cathedral Chicago, IL more info...
Monday, May 1, 2017 Grinnell College Sebring-Lewis Hall at Bucksbaum Center for the Arts, Grinnell Co Grinnell, IA
Sunday, April 30, 2017 Drake University Sheslow Auditorium Des Moines, IA
Saturday, April 29, 2017 University of Nebraska Omaha School of Music Strauss Performing Arts Center Recital Hall Omaha, NE more info...
Sunday, April 9, 2017 Jefferson Academy of Music Cardinal Health Auditorium, Columbus Museum of Art Columbus, OH more info...
Tuesday, April 4, 2017 Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott & Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall South Bend, IN more info...
Sunday, April 2, 2017 Chamber Music Society of Bethlehem Foy Concert Hall, Moravian College Bethlehem, PA more info...
Tuesday, February 7, 2017 Indiana University South Bend Louise E. Addicott and Yatish J. Joshi Performance Hall (IUSB) South Bend, IN
Saturday, November 19, 2016 Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society The Wolfe Recital Hall, Del Mar College East Corpus Christi, TX
Friday, November 18, 2016 Corpus Christi Chamber Music Society House of Rock Corpus Christi, TX
Monday, November 7, 2016 THE BOHEMIANS (New York Musicians’ Club)
THE BOHEMIANS (New
Monday, November 7, 2016 The Bohemians (New York Musicians' Club) Kosciuzko Foundation (NYC) New York, NY
Sunday, November 6, 2016 First Congregational Church of South Windsor South Windsor, CT
Saturday, November 5, 2016 Goff Memorial Hall Rehoboth, MA
Friday, November 4, 2016 NELSON HALL AT ELIM PARK Cheshire, CT
Wednesday, November 2, 2016 Kimball Farms Lenox, MA
Tuesday, October 11, 2016 Indiana University South Bend Upstage Theater South Bend, IN
Tuesday, August 16, 2016 Grant Valley State University Allendale,MI
Sunday, July 10, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 10, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 10, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 3, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 3, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 3, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center
Sunday, June 26, 2016 Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Saturday, April 23, 2016 Indiana University South Bend Performance Hall South Bend, IN
Tuesday, February 16, 2016 Indiana University South Bend Performance Hall South Bend, IN
Monday, November 23, 2015 Kimball Farms Lenox, MA
Sunday, November 22, 2015 Newtown Firiends of Chamber Music Edmond Town Hall Newtown, CT
Sunday, October 18, 2015 Howard Performing Arts Center Andrews University Berrien Springs, MI
Tuesday, October 13, 2015 Indiana University South Bend Performance Hall South Bend, IN
Sunday, September 27, 2015 Black Hills Chamber Music Society 1st Congregational Church Rapid City, SD
Thursday, August 27, 2015 Chamber Music North Frankfort, MI
Sunday, July 19, 2015 Music in the Mountains Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, July 12, 2015 Music in the Mountains Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, June 28, 2015 Music in the Mountains Rocky Ridge Music Center Estes Park, CO
Sunday, June 14, 2015 Chamber Music North Milliken Auditorium, Dennos Museum Center Traverse City, MI
Friday, March 6, 2015 Indiana University South Bend Performance Hall South Bend, IN
Saturday, February 21, 2015 Abbey Church Events Series St. Martin's Abbey Lacey, WA
February 5-8, 2015 Chamber Blitz at Webster University Community Music School Webster Groves, MO
General Inquiries and Booking
Parker Artists
212-864-7928
382 Central Park West #9G, New York, NY 10025 www.parkerartists.com
String Quartet No. 2 (World Premiere) - Performed by the Euclid Quartet Music by Robert Paterson Commissioned by J.K. Billman and written for and dedicated t...
Mostly - Joshua Baerwald - live from Mostly Modern Festival, 201
â¦mostly for String Quartet (World Premiere) Music by Joshua Baerwald EUCLID QUARTET Jameson Cooper, Violin Brendan Shea, Violin Luis Enrique Vargas, Viola Ja...
Creole Contradanzas from At The Octoroon Balls - Wynton Marsalis
Creole Contradanzas from At The Octoroon Balls for String Quartet Music by Wynton Marsalis EUCLID QUARTET Jameson Cooper, Violin Brendan Shea, Violin Luis En...
Grieg String Quartet in G minor Op. 27, Un poco Andante - Allegr
The Euclid Quartet brings a vibrant sense of humor and electric energy to a broad range of educational activities for virtually any age group. These seasoned teaching artists have performed for thousands and thousands of students and young adults, in part through support from the National Endowment for the Arts and collaborations with Carnegie Hall's Weill Music Institute and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association. Whatever the setting, the members enjoy working with presenters and communities to arrange in-school performances, masterclasses, or a host of other educational activities.
Teachers and administrators consistently praise their in-school performances with great enthusiasm:
"In 30 years of teaching, this is the best assembly I've ever seen!"
[school teacher, Mishawaka, Indiana]
"Their well thought-out, well planned, well executed performance was amazing!!! I still cannot get over how each level of student took away from that performance what related to them."
[music teacher, Storm Lake, Iowa]
The Quartet offers a broad range of educational activities covering students at all levels of age and experience: from “informances” for young students who haven't held an instrument yet, to detailed workshops about building and refining advanced techniques, and everywhere in between. Contact us for a complete list of activities.
FEATURED PROJECT
SYMPHONIES OF STRING INSTRUMENTS
We’re excited to offer this unique experience for young string players! "Symphonies of String Instruments", commissioned by the Euclid Quartet from composer James Leatherbarrow, is a chance for student string orchestras to perform along-side the Quartet. This incredibly engaging and highly accessible work is written for string quartet plus a modular combination of one, two, or three different levels of student orchestra. Three inner movements are designed to feature each of the three different orchestras one at a time with the Quartet, while the outer movements bring all the forces together.
JAMESON COOPER, originally from Sheffield, England, began playing the violin at age 6. At 13 he joined the National Youth Orchestra of Great Britain and later became concertmaster of the National Youth Chamber Orchestra. He studied at The Royal Northern College of Music, where he earned a Graduate of Music Degree with Honors and a Professional Performance Diploma. Mr. Cooper first came to the U.S. as a participant in the Aspen Music Festival. Since then, he has studied with Dorothy DeLay, Masao Kawasaki, and Roland and Almita Vamos. He earned Masters Degrees in Violin and Conducting from Kent State University, where he later served as Assistant Professor of Violin and Viola at the University's Hugh A. Glauser School of Music. Recipient of numerous prizes, he has performed as soloist with orchestra, recitalist, and chamber musician throughout the U.S. and Europe. In the 2001-02 season, Jameson played in the Audubon Quartet in its Beethoven Quartet cycle series.
In addition to his recordings with the Euclid Quartet, Mr. Cooper has recorded a disc of new music for violin, to be released this season. Jameson has given masterclasses at many colleges and universities, including Oberlin College Conservatory, Virginia Tech and Skidmore College, and is a former faculty member of the Lyceum Music School of Oldham, England and Morningside College.
Violinist AVIVA HAKANOGLU was born and raised in New York City and has enjoyed a varied career as a performer, educator, and advocate for community engagement. She is a Visiting Lecturer at Indiana University South Bend, where she is a member of the Euclid Quartet, the university’s Ensemble-in-Residence. Prior to coming to South Bend, Aviva was a violinist with the Pittsburgh-based Beo String Quartet.
Aviva earned her Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy and Music from Harvard University. While at Harvard, she had the opportunity to work with artist William Kentridge on his Norton Lecture Drawing Lesson Six: Anti-Entropy. This experience was one of many that fueled her pursuit for interdisciplinary collaboration.
She went on to complete her Master’s degree from the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, studying with Simin Ganatra, first violinist of the Pacifica Quartet. While at IU, she was a participant of the Pacifica Quartet Intensive Seminar and also studied pedagogy with Mimi Zweig, director of the Indiana University String Academy. After finishing her Master’s program, Aviva earned her Doctorate in Musical Arts from Stony Brook University, where she studied with Jennifer Frautschi, Philip Setzer, and Arnaud Sussmann. During her time at Stony Brook, she was a participant in the inaugural class of the Emerson String Quartet Institute.
Aviva has appeared as a faculty artist at the Dakota Chamber Music Festival and Charlotte New Music Festival. In addition, she has held positions with the Owensboro and Terre Haute Symphony Orchestras, and has performed with ensembles around the country, including the Pittsburgh Festival Opera, Evansville Philharmonic, and Lansing Symphony. A passionate chamber musician, Aviva has collaborated and performed with renowned artists such as Atar Arad, Peter Stumpf, Lawrence Dutton, and Paul Watkins.
While living in Long Island, Aviva was the assistant director of the Three Village Chamber Players, a community-based chamber music collective that provided free concerts around the area. Aviva remains committed to curating meaningful performance experiences at a variety of local venues.
Violist LUIS ENRIQUE VARGAS, has been a member of the Euclid Quartet since 2001 and teaches viola and chamber music at IU South Bend.
Born in Venezuela and brought up in a family of musicians, he was first introduced to the music world at age 14 when he became a member of the internationally renowned El Sistema of the Venezuelan Youth Orchestra. As a member of El Sistema, he was an active educator throughout Venezuela, and an active performer and chamber musician. He pursued studies at the Vicente Emilio Sojo and the Simon Bolivar Conservatories of Music in Venezuela.
He moved to North America in 1997 where he pursued a Chamber Music Diploma at Wilfrid Laurier University in Ontario, Canada instructed by the Penderecki String Quartet. He resides in the United States since the fall of that year. While in the United States he got a Master’s Degree in Music Performance from Miami University of Ohio and a Performer’s Certificate from Northern Illinois University where he studied with Richard Young, violist of the Vermeer Quartet.
Throughout his career, Vargas has studied with many internationally known musicians. Among them are Jose Manuel Roman, Gerard Causee, Li-Kuo Chang, James Dunham, Michael Tree, Earl Carlyss, and the Penderecki, Emerson string quartets.
He is currently a member of the National Academy of the Recording Arts and Sciences (the Grammy® Awards organization), as well as an adjudicator for the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and a member of the board of directors of the Hugo Kauder Society and advisor for their international music competition. He is, also, an adjudicator for the Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Competition to be held at the MTNA National conference in Chicago, Ill. Other teaching positions have included the Sulzbach-Rosenberg International Music Festival in Germany and the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Colorado.
With the Euclid Quartet he was awarded the Bronze Medal at the Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan in 2005, the Grand Prize at the Hugo Kauder International Music Competition at Yale University in 2004, and second place at the Chamber Music Yellow Spring Competition in Ohio in 2003. Performances with the Euclid Quartet include venues such as Izumi Hall In Osaka, Japan, Weill Recital Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, and Harris Hall at the Aspen Music Festival.
He was a member of the Cuarteto America (1995-1999), and performed extensively throughout Venezuela and in Luxembourg, Germany, Colombia, Mexico, Canada and the United States. With the Cuarteto America he attended international music festivals, and attended the International Music Symposium "Strings of the Future" in Ottawa, Canada in 1997.
With the orchestras of El Sistema, namely the Lara Symphony and the Simon Bolivar Orchestra, he performed in multiple tours to Brazil, Curaçao, Spain and France over a span of 9 years. With the Simon Bolivar Orchestra he recorded "Latino-American Lollipops" a compilation of Latino-American masterpieces under Dorian Label.
With the Euclid Quartet he recorded the entire Bela Bartok string quartet series under Artek Label in two discs released in 2010 and 2013. He also recorded the string quartets of the Viennese composer Hugo Kauder under Centaur Records.
CHRIS WILD'S performances have been lauded as "insatiable" (New York Times), resulting from his enthusiastic pursuit of musical connections. He currently serves as Conductor of the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra and is co-founder and conductor of the music theatre troupe Après L'Histoire. As a cellist, he performs frequently with the Chicago-based Ensemble Dal Niente, described as a "superb contemporary-music collective" (New York Times) noted for its "bracing sonic adventures" (Chicago Tribune). Recent performance highlights include appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Millennium Park's Pritzker Pavilion, and the Palacio de Bellas Artes (Mexico). As a guest conductor Chris has led subscription and education concerts with the Peninsula Music Festival, Oregon Bach Festival Orchestra & Chorus, Windsor Symphony Orchestra, Illinois Valley Symphony Orchestra, and Camerata Antonio Soler (Spain), as well as rehearsals with the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra and South Bend Symphony Orchestra. Alongside his performance projects, he is a dedicated teacher, serving as cello and chamber music faculty at Andrews University and the University of Notre Dame. Whenever directing young musicians, Chris is diligent in striving for growth, guiding informed and inspired performances that exceed expectations.
Chris began his cello studies at the age of five in British Columbia, Canada, where he would later win first place in the strings category of the Canadian Music Competition. He moved stateside to attend the University of Michigan, where he studied with Erling Blöndal Bengtsson and Richard Aaron and won first place in the school's Concerto Competition. While at Michigan, he also developed interests in conducting and music education, recognizing their potential for engaging with new listeners. After establishing himself as a musician based in Chicago, Chris returned to graduate school to complete a DMA in Orchestral Conducting at Northwestern University, where he conducted performances with the university’s Symphony Orchestra, Chamber Orchestra, Bienen Strings, Opera, and Music Academy Chorus while studying with Victor Yampolsky. He also joined with peers to form Après L'Histoire, mounting staged performances of Igor Stravinsky's L'Histoire du soldat at the Poetry Foundation and The Arts Club of Chicago during the composition's centennial year, and commissioning new works to premiere alongside it. Completion of Chris' doctoral studies also included a minor in musicology and the final project "Charles Ives' Three Places in New England: an Interpretation and a Conducting Guide," available through ProQuest online.
Chris has appeared as a concerto soloist with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (Canada), Third Coast Percussion (Chicago), Experimental Sound Studio SWR (Germany), University of Michigan Philharmonia Orchestra, and recently led the Andrews University Symphony Orchestra in a performance of Haydn’s Cello Concerto No.2, now on YouTube. His debut cello album, Abhanden, is described by New Music Box as "a virtuosic tour-de-force for solo cello... Wild's approach to the material is soaring, lyrical, and bold... confirms that Wild is not only an exciting performer to watch, but also a wise programmer and collaborator." His performances with Ensemble Dal Niente have taken him to Europe and South America and included the premieres of hundreds of new compositions. He can be heard on the New Amsterdam, New Focus, New World, Navona, Naxos, and Carrier record labels. A versatile performer, Chris has recently performed as a cellist with the Euclid String Quartet, cello continuo with the Bienen Contemporary/Early Vocal Ensemble, in improvisations with guitarist Gabriel Datcu, and as a member of the Walden School Players each summer.
Chris' work as a conductor grew out of a passion for accessibility and music advocacy. Recently, he has begun sharing his love for music in the YouTube video series Great Moments in Orchestral History and through teaching in the music department at Andrews University. His conducting experience also includes serving as Assistant Conductor of the Peninsula Music Festival, Cover Conductor for the South Bend Symphony Orchestra, Assistant Conductor of the Northwestern University Chamber Orchestra, and Director of Orchestras for the DeKalb School District, where he founded the DeKalb High School String Band. Chris' conducting mentors include Victor Yampolsky (Northwestern University), Lucia Matos (Northern Illinois University), Cliff Colnot (Civic Orchestra of Chicago), Randal Swiggum (Comprehensive Musicianship through Performance), and Robert Culver (University of Michigan), and he has worked in master classes with Leon Fleisher, Jorma Panula, Neil Varon, Matthew Halls, Robert Franz, Mark Gibson, Donald Schleicher, Louis Bergonzi, Robert Hasty, Michael Jinbo, and Edward Maclary. In addition to instrumental repertoire, Chris has conducted staged productions and excerpts from multiple requiems, operas, musicals, oratorios, cantatas, and motets.
