Isabelle Durrenberger & Rachel Shapiro, violins
Caitlin Lynch, viola
Jia Kim, cello

Praised for both “high-octane” excitement (Strad) and “dusky lyricism” (New York Times), the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks alongside cutting-edge new works with equal dedication and fervor. Mark Satola of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes, “The quartet has a rich and warm tone combined with precise ensemble playing … and an impressive musical intelligence guided every technical and dramatic turn.” Based in New York City, the Aeolus Quartet has performed at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Library of Congress, Alice Tully Hall, Severance Hall, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, St. Martin-in-the-Fields, and venues across North America, Europe, and Asia. Their performances have ranged from Lincoln Center’s Great Performers Series to unconventional spaces such as Dupont Underground, a subterranean streetcar station in Washington, DC. The Quartet was also featured in the Netflix miniseries The Defenders.

Recently praised by the Wall Street Journal for their “vibrant” collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Aeolus Quartet’s 2026–2027 season includes a co-commission with Tippet Rise Art Center, San Antonio Chamber Music Society, and Chamber Music Columbus for a new work by composer/cellist Karen Ouzounian, as well as appearances at Chamber Music Boise, Reading Friends of Chamber Music, and a residency at the Marlboro Music Festival. Previous seasons have included featured performances presented by Carnegie Hall Citywide at Madison Square Park, Chamber Music Detroit, and Interlochen Center for the Arts. The Quartet also serves as Artistic Directors of the Charles Wadsworth Piano Competition, an innovative competition emphasizing chamber music and equal access for all applicants.

Formed in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Aeolus Quartet has earned top prizes at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Plowman Chamber Music Competition, Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and the International Chamber Music Ensemble Competition in New England. The Austin Critics’ Table named the Quartet’s collaboration with Spectrum Dance Theater, Rambunctious, the 2016–17 “Best Touring Performance.” The Aeolus Quartet held the position of Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School and is currently Quartet-in-Residence at Musica Viva NY.

Dedicated advocates for contemporary music, the Quartet has premiered works by Jonathan Bailey Holland and collaborated closely with composers including John Corigliano, Missy Mazzoli, Keeril Makan, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Timothy Mauthe, Alexandra T. Bryant, and Karen Ouzounian. Their recordings on the Naxos and Azica labels include the Many-Sided Music initiative, an ongoing project promoting works by American composers. Their album Ariel and Other Poems was released on Azica Records in 2021 and is available through major retailers and streaming platforms worldwide.

The Aeolus Quartet has collaborated with many of today’s leading artists, including Renée Fleming, Ida Kavafian, Joel Krosnick, Peter Wiley, Michael Tree, and Paul Neubauer. The Quartet is grateful for the mentorship of Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark Steinberg, and has studied extensively with the Juilliard, Guarneri, St. Lawrence, Cavani, and Miró Quartets. Members hold degrees from the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Maryland, and the University of Texas at Austin.

Deeply committed to education and community engagement, the Aeolus Quartet has been recognized nationally for its innovative educational programming. The Quartet received Chamber Music America’s Residency Partnership Grant and the distinguished “Guarneri Quartet Residency” title for projects involving performances and workshops at the Duke Ellington School for the Arts, the Sitar Arts Center, and George Washington University. They also received the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association’s Educator Award for their impact in underserved communities and the John Lad Prize for extensive residency and community engagement work at Stanford University. The Quartet has served on the faculty of Interlochen Center for the Arts, Stanford University’s Education Program for Gifted Youth, Austin Chamber Music Workshop, Point CounterPoint, and the Chloe Trevor Music Academy. Through collaborations with the University of Texas and Chamber Music Society of Detroit, the Quartet has reached thousands of students through performances and educational initiatives.

Thanks to the generosity of the Five Partners Foundation, the Aeolus Quartet performs on four instruments crafted by Brooklyn luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz. Named for the Greek god Aeolus, ruler of the four winds, the Quartet draws inspiration from the idea of a single spirit uniting four individual forces in pursuit of a shared artistic vision.

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05/2026 - PLEASE DESTROY ALL PREVIOUSLY DATED MATERIALS.

MODIFIED VERSIONS MUST BE APPROVED BY DISPEKER ARTISTS.