Friday, September 25, 2026, 7:30 PM

Street and Davis Performance Hall, Anne and Ellen Fife Theatre

This performance will last approximately 105 minutes, including one 15-minute intermission.*

Category A $60 | Category B $45 | Category C $25
$10 students with ID and youth 18 and under

15%-25% subscription discounts available
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WORKS

Bridge: Three Idylls for String Quartet, H. 67
Mendelssohn: String Quartet no. 6 in F minor, op. 80
Britten: Three Divertimenti for String Quartet
Beethoven: String Quartet no. 8 in E minor, op. 59, no. 2

 

memberS

Adrian Steele, violin
Phoenix Avalon, violin
Devin Moore, viola
Joshua McClendon, cello

 

"A polished sonority and well-balanced, tightly synchronized ensemble... it is heartening to know that chamber music is in good hands with such gifted young ensembles as the Isidore Quartet."

— Chicago Classical Review

Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant and the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet approaches the repertory with a spirit of rediscovery — “the established as if it were brand new” — bringing clarity, balance, and expressive depth to music across eras. 

The program moves from the lyrical charm of Frank Bridge to the stormy intensity of Mendelssohn, the sharp contrasts of Britten, and the sweeping emotional power of Beethoven’s op. 59 quartet. Across centuries, this music continues to feel immediate, intimate, and alive.

About the Quartet

The quartet began as an ensemble at the Juilliard School and has coached with Joel Krosnick, Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, and numerous others. 

In North America, the Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Boston; New York; Berkeley; Chicago; Ann Arbor; Pittsburgh; Seattle; Durham; Washington, D.C.; Houston; San Francisco; New Orleans; Cincinnati; Toronto; Montreal; and Vancouver, and has collaborated with several eminent performers, including James Ehnes and Jeremy Denk. 

The quartet’s 2025-2026 season included performances in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Calgary, Tulsa, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, New York, and Washington’s Library of Congress; return engagements in Montreal, Berkeley, Houston, La Jolla, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Spivey Hall in Georgia; and first-time collaborations with clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellist Sterling Elliott, and the Miró Quartet.

The ensemble has performed in Europe at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and in Bonn (Beethoven Haus), Stuttgart, Cologne, and Dresden, among many others.  During the 2025-2026 season, the quartet made its debut in Paris (Philharmonie) and London (Wigmore Hall).

Over the past several years, the quartet has developed a strong connection to the works of composer and pianist Billy Childs, performing his Quartets no. 2 and 3 throughout North America and Europe. In February 2026 it premiered a new Childs quartet written expressly for the ensemble.

Both on stage and outside the concert hall, the Isidore Quartet is deeply invested in connecting with youth and elderly populations, as well as with marginalized communities who otherwise have limited access to high-quality live music performance. The musicians approach music as a “playground” and attempt to break down barriers to encourage collaboration and creativity.

The name Isidore recognizes the ensemble’s musical connection to the Juilliard Quartet: one of that group’s early members was legendary violinist Isidore Cohen. Additionally, it acknowledges a shared affection for a certain libation — legend has it a Greek monk named Isidore concocted the first genuine vodka recipe for the Grand Duchy of Moscow!

This is Isidore String Quartet's first performance at the center.

Photos by Jiyang Chen and Eduardus Lee

* Run times listed here are based on information provided at this time and are subject to change.