Formalist Quartet

The Formalist Quartet is an ensemble dedicated to the performance of adventurous repertoire focusing on contemporary pieces and world premieres, as well as exploring a diverse spectrum of early music and the standard repertoire. The quartet was born on the 100th birthday of Dmitri Shostakovich (September 25th, 2006) and since then has been playing frequently across the United States and Europe in concert halls, festivals, art galleries, cafes, and homes, including the Reykjavic Arts Festival, Iceland; the Universität der Künste, Berlin; Bludenzer Tage Zeitgemasse Musik; The Basilica di Santa Maria Gloriosa dei Frari, Venice, Italy; REDCAT at the Walt Disney Concert Hall, Los Angeles; the Wulf, Los Angeles; University of California, San Diego; Stanford University; University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee; the Flatfile Galleries, Chicago; University of Nevada, Reno; Cornelia Street Cafe, New York; MOSA Concert Series, New York; Princeton University; the Eagle Rock Center for the Arts; the Villa Aurora, Pacific Palisades; University of Maryland, Baltimore County; LISTEN/SPACE, New York; Hamiltonian Gallery, Washington DC; ArtSpace Herndon, Virginia; and San Diego New Music. Their recordings include a recent album on Darla Records featuring 14 new string quartets by Harold Budd, the epic 100 Cadences of Arthur Jarvinen on Lakefire Records, two string quartets by Nicholas Deyoe on Populist Records, music for several small films and pop records, Kristian Ireland’s “Clearing” on the <541> series through Innova records, and an upcoming release of the complete string quartets of Christian Wolff. The quartet has been called “suberb” and “fabulous” by Mark Swed in the LA Times and has been praised for their “outstanding performance and incisive interpretation” in the Reykjavik Morgunblaðið.