Enso Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Ensō String Quartet is a US
-based string quartet
. They have won a number of competitions including the 2003 Concert Artists Guild, 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
. Formed in 1999, they have released three CDs on the Naxos Records
label, one of which was nominated for a "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award.
Richard Belcher is a native of New Zealand.
In the 09/10 season the Ensō Quartet was announced as a winner of the Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant which will see the quartet work with composer Kurt Stallmann
on a new piece for string quartet and electronics. Since the quartet’s inception in 1999, new music has featured prominently – from winning the Piece-de-Concert prize at the Banff Competition for the best performance of the commissioned piece, to premiering Joan Tower’s Piano Quintet last season, to making premiere recordings released on Albany Records this season of works by composers Anthony Brandt and Karim al Zand.
The 09/10 season has also seen release of the Enso Quartet’s
CD of the three quartets by Alberto Ginastera on the Naxos label. The Ginastera CD, which was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award http://www.grammy.com/nominees?category=190, follows the quartet’s 2005 debut on Naxos Records, a 2-CD set of Ignaz Pleyel’s six string quartets, Op. 2, which garnered rave reviews, with Strad Magazine calling the disc “an auspicious start to the Enso Quartet’s recording career.” Gramophone Magazine hailed their playing as “lively and intelligent”, and Fanfare Magazine praised the ensemble for its "extraordinary talent...exceptional sense of vitality and elegance.”
The Ensō Quartet’s members also teach and coach chamber music. Institutions with which they have held substantial teaching or performing residencies include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (08/09 season), Boston University Tanglewood Institute (06-08), Interlochen Adult Amateur Chamber Music Camp (07-present), and Rice University (04-06) where the members of the quartet served as Guest Lecturers in String Quartet. The quartet has been awarded the Guarneri Quartet Award for their continuing collaboration with Connecticut’s Music for Youth program with whom they have developed a successful program for string students in public schools in Bridgeport and Weston, CT.
The Ensō Quartet's members hold degrees from The Juilliard School
, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). The ensemble formed in 1999 and while students at Yale University and completed graduate residencies at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The quartet has been featured in the American Ensembles column of Chamber Music magazine and their live performances have been broadcast on PBS, Chicago’s WFMT, Wisconsin Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio’s Saint Paul Sunday program, Houston’s KUHF, Australia’s ABC Classic FM, Radio New Zealand and Canada’s CBC radio.
The ensemble’s name, enso
, is derived from the Japanese zen painting of the circle which represents many things; perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit.
The ensemble was chosen as the graduate quartet-in-residence at Northern Illinois University where they were mentored by the Vermeer String Quartet. They also completed a graduate residency at Rice University.
The Ensō Quartet's recording of the complete Ginastera String Quartets was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award and selected by MusicWeb International as "Recordings of the Year 2009".
The ensemble has also been the recipient of a Commissioning grant and Residency partnership grants from Chamber Music America.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-based string quartet
String quartet
A string quartet is a musical ensemble of four string players – usually two violin players, a violist and a cellist – or a piece written to be performed by such a group...
. They have won a number of competitions including the 2003 Concert Artists Guild, 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
Begun in South Bend, Indiana, USA in 1973, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition is the largest chamber music competition in the world, and the only with separate Junior and Senior Divisions...
. Formed in 1999, they have released three CDs on the Naxos Records
Naxos Records
Naxos Records is a record label specializing in classical music. Through a number of imprints, Naxos also releases genres including Chinese music, jazz, world music, and early rock & roll. The company was founded in 1987 by Klaus Heymann, a German-born resident of Hong Kong.Naxos is the largest...
label, one of which was nominated for a "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award.
Members
- Maureen Nelson, violin I
- John Marcus, violin II
- Melissa Reardon, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Richard Belcher, celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
Richard Belcher is a native of New Zealand.
Biography
Shortly after the group’s inception at Yale University in 1999, Ensō had success at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and has consistently received high praise for performances ever since. The quartet’s debut recording was described by Strad Magazine as “an auspicious start to their recording career,” and was followed by the recent Grammy-nominated release of the quartets of Ginastera. MusicWeb International summed up this album as “playing of jaw-dropping prowess revealing masterpieces of the 20th century quartet literature … seek out this group – they are clearly bound for greatness.” The disc was selected as one of MusicWeb’s Recordings of the Year for 2009.In the 09/10 season the Ensō Quartet was announced as a winner of the Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant which will see the quartet work with composer Kurt Stallmann
Kurt Stallmann
Stallmann Kurt is an American composer who lives and works in Houston, Texas.-Education:Kurt Stallmann was born in Rockford, Illinois. In 1987, he received a bachelor's degree in music from Northern Illinois University. That same year, he reolocated to Boston, Massachusetts where he composed,...
on a new piece for string quartet and electronics. Since the quartet’s inception in 1999, new music has featured prominently – from winning the Piece-de-Concert prize at the Banff Competition for the best performance of the commissioned piece, to premiering Joan Tower’s Piano Quintet last season, to making premiere recordings released on Albany Records this season of works by composers Anthony Brandt and Karim al Zand.
The 09/10 season has also seen release of the Enso Quartet’s
CD of the three quartets by Alberto Ginastera on the Naxos label. The Ginastera CD, which was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award http://www.grammy.com/nominees?category=190, follows the quartet’s 2005 debut on Naxos Records, a 2-CD set of Ignaz Pleyel’s six string quartets, Op. 2, which garnered rave reviews, with Strad Magazine calling the disc “an auspicious start to the Enso Quartet’s recording career.” Gramophone Magazine hailed their playing as “lively and intelligent”, and Fanfare Magazine praised the ensemble for its "extraordinary talent...exceptional sense of vitality and elegance.”
The Ensō Quartet’s members also teach and coach chamber music. Institutions with which they have held substantial teaching or performing residencies include the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (08/09 season), Boston University Tanglewood Institute (06-08), Interlochen Adult Amateur Chamber Music Camp (07-present), and Rice University (04-06) where the members of the quartet served as Guest Lecturers in String Quartet. The quartet has been awarded the Guarneri Quartet Award for their continuing collaboration with Connecticut’s Music for Youth program with whom they have developed a successful program for string students in public schools in Bridgeport and Weston, CT.
The Ensō Quartet's members hold degrees from The Juilliard School
Juilliard School
The Juilliard School, located at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York City, United States, is a performing arts conservatory which was established in 1905...
, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). The ensemble formed in 1999 and while students at Yale University and completed graduate residencies at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The quartet has been featured in the American Ensembles column of Chamber Music magazine and their live performances have been broadcast on PBS, Chicago’s WFMT, Wisconsin Public Radio, Minnesota Public Radio’s Saint Paul Sunday program, Houston’s KUHF, Australia’s ABC Classic FM, Radio New Zealand and Canada’s CBC radio.
The ensemble’s name, enso
Enso
Ensō is a Japanese word meaning "circle" and a concept strongly associated with Zen. Ensō is one of the most common subjects of Japanese calligraphy even though it is a symbol and not a character. It symbolizes the Absolute enlightenment, strength, elegance, the Universe, and the void; it can...
, is derived from the Japanese zen painting of the circle which represents many things; perfection and imperfection, the moment of chaos that is creation, the emptiness of the void, the endless circle of life, and the fullness of the spirit.
Competitions and honors
The Ensō Quartet has won top prizes in many competitions including the 2003 Concert Artists Guild, 2004 Banff International String Quartet Competition, Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.The ensemble was chosen as the graduate quartet-in-residence at Northern Illinois University where they were mentored by the Vermeer String Quartet. They also completed a graduate residency at Rice University.
The Ensō Quartet's recording of the complete Ginastera String Quartets was nominated for "Best Chamber Music Performance" Grammy award and selected by MusicWeb International as "Recordings of the Year 2009".
The ensemble has also been the recipient of a Commissioning grant and Residency partnership grants from Chamber Music America.
External links
- The Enso String Quartet (official website)
- http://www.myspace.com/ensoquartet
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CRfWPhXmMcs