14th BISQC Winner's Tour

Isidore String Quartet performs in the Beethoven Finals at BISQC 2022

The Banff International String Quartet Competition is proud of the many partnerships developed with concert presenters across Europe and North America, who have supported its mission by providing opportunities for the winners of BISQC to perform for audiences world-wide.

As part of their First Prize, Isidore String Quartet will embark on concert tours in partnership with Konzertdirection Andrea Hampl (Europe) and David Rowe Artists (Canada/USA).

  • Europe in March/April 2023, November 2023, January/February 2024, June/July 2024, possibly spring 2025
  • Austria as part of the Esterházy Foundation Prize
  • North America between June 2023 - August 2024
  • BISQ Festival September 2024

Upcoming Concerts

In addition to BISQC Winner's Tour concerts, the Isidore have many other performances through their management - we are pleased to share all their concert details to keep you informed of their many engagements:
 

FEBRUARY

February 9 UC San Diego, San Diego, CA

February 10 Phoenix Chamber Music Society, Phoenix, AZ

February 24 Chamber Music Columbus, Columbus, OH

February 29 ArtSpring, Salt Spring Island, BC
 

MARCH

March 3 | The Coast Recital Society, Sechelt, BC

March 5 | CalPerformances, Berkeley, CA

March 7 | Aspen Music Festival, Aspen, CO

March 9 | The Jeffrey Concerts, London, ON

March 10 | University Musical Society, Ann Arbor, MI

March 24 | The Phillips Collection, Washington, DC

March 27 Celebrity Series of Boston, Boston, MA

March 30 | Shriver Hall Concert Series, Baltimore, MD
 

APRIL

April 13 | Calgary Pro Musica Society, Calgary, AB

April 14 | Cecelian Chamber Series, Regina, SK

April 16 | Lyell Gustin Recital Series, Saskatoon, SK

April 18 | Valley Concert Society, Abbotsford, BC

April 19 | Chamber Music Kelowna Society, Kelowna, BC

April 20 | Edmonton Chamber Music Society, Edmonton, AB

April 22 | Carlos Moseley CMS, Spartanburg, SC

April 25 | 92Y, New York City, NY

April 26 | University of Chicago Presents, Chicago, IL

April 28 | Friends of Music Concerts, Sleepy Hollow, NY

 

MAY

May 1 | Hopkins Center for the Arts at Darmouth, Hanover, NH

May 3 | Huntsville Chamber Music Guild, Huntsville, AL

May 6 | Howland Chamber Music Circle, Beacon, NY

May 9-12 | Performance Santa Fe, Santa Fe, NM

Past Concerts

2024

January 28 | Eindhoven, NL

January 27 | String Quartet Biennale Amsterdam, Amsterdam, NL

January 26 | Brussels, BE

January 24Bad Tölz, DE

January 23Nürnberg, DE

January 22 | Meran, DE

January 20 | Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, DE

January 19 | Heppenheim, DE

January 18 | Frankfurt, DE

January 17 | Trier, DE

January 15 | Rheda, DE

January 13 | Buchholz, DE

2023

December 8 | Wisconsin Union Theatre, Madison, WI

December 6 | Arizona Friends of Chamber Music, Tuczon, AZ

December 3 | Chamber Music in Yellow Springs, Yellow Springs, OH

November 29 | Ensemble Music Society, Indianapolis, IN

November 28 | Friends of Chamber Music, Denver, CO

November 13 | The Bremen Bell, Bremen, Germany

November 12 | Medienhaus der Braunschweiger Zeitung, Braunschweig, Germany

November 11 | Herrehausen Galerie, Hannover, Germany

November 10 | Bruchsal Castle, Bruchsal, Germany

November 7 | Bruckner House, Linz, Austria

October 15 | Rennolds Chamber Concert Series, Richmond, VA

October 10-31 | Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Dallas, TX

October 10-13 | Music in the Morning, Vancouver, BC

October 7 | Troy Friends of Chamber Music, Troy, NY

October 5 | Lenard Chamber Music Series, Storrs, CT

September 18-30 | Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at SMU Meadows School of the Arts, Dallas, TX

September 17 | Herbst Gold Festival at Esterházy Palace, Eisenstadt, Austria

September 15 | KunstFreunde Wiesloch, Germany

September 12-13 | Ulm, Germany

September 7 | Lucerne Festival Debut, Lucerne, CH

August 29-31 | 64th Ferruccio Busoni International Piano Competition, Bolzano, IT

August 24-25 | Edinburgh International Festival, Edinburgh, UK

August 18-20 | Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, Blue Hill, ME

August 8 | Cape Cod Chamber Music Festival, Barnstable, MA

August 4 | Hornby Festival, Hornby Island, BC

August 2 - 3 | Victoria Summer Music Festival, Victoria, BC

July 24 - 30 Bravo! Vail, Vail, CO

July 21 | Ottawa Chamberfest, Ottawa, ON

July 19 & 20 Toronto Summer Music Festival, Toronto, ON

July 16 | Under the Spire Music Festival, Prince Edward Island

July 1 | Rockport Music, Rockport, MA

June 16 Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Montreal, QC

June 10 | Hudson Valley Chamber Music Circle, Bard College, NY

May 10 | Seattle Chamber Music Society, Seattle, WA

April 27 Fortas Chamber Music Series, The Kennedy Center, Washington, DC

April 23 | San Antonio Chamber Music Society, San Antonio, Texas

March 30 – April 2 |  Eisenstadt, Austria, String Quartet Festival

March 19 | Schneider Concerts, The New School, New York, NY

February 24 | University of Vermont, Lane Series, Burlington, VT

February 19 | Philharmonic Society of Orange County, as part of the Laguna Chamber Music Festival

February 13 | Chamber Music Pittsburgh - MainStage Live

Europe

In Europe, BISQC has concert agreements in principle with:

  • Strijkkwartet Biënnale, Amsterdam, NL
  • Kammermusik Basel, Basel, CH
  • Konzerthaus Berlin, Berlin, DE
  • University of Bonn, Bonn, DE
  • Konzertverein Bozen, Bozen, IT
  • Die Glocke, Bremen, DE
  • Bruchsaler Schlosskonzerte, Bruchsal, DE
  • Flagey, Brussels, BE
  • Herbstgold Festival, Eisenstadt, AT
  • Conservatoire de Musique, Esch, LU
  • Festival Meckenburg-Vorpommern, DE
  • Stadt Fulda, Fulda, DE
  • Elbphilharmonie, Hamburg, DE
  • Lucerne Festival, Lucerne, CH
  • Wigmore Hall, London, UK
  • Esterházy Foundation, Eisenstadt, AT
  • Lucerne Festival, Lucerne, CH
  • Philharmonie, Paris, FR
  • Mozarteum, Salzburg, AT

North America

In North America, BISQC has concert agreements in principle with:

  • Victoria Summer Music Festival, Victoria, BC
  • Music in the Morning, Vancouver, BC
  • Chamber Music Kelowna, Kelowna, BC
  • The Coast Recital Society, Sechelt, BC
  • White Rock Concerts, Surrey, BC
  • ArtSpring, Salt Spring Island, BC
  • Candlelight Concerts, Maple Ridge, BC
  • Calgary Pro Musica, Calgary,AB
  • Banff Centre International String Quartet Festival, Banff, AB
  • St. Albert Chamber Music Society, St. Albert, AB
  • High River Gift of Music, AB
  • Lyell Gustin Recital Series, Saskatoon, SK
  • Cecilian Chamber Series, Regina, SK
  • Virtuosi Concerts, Winnipeg, MB
  • Toronto Summer Music Festival, Toronto, ON
  • The Jeffery Concerts, London, ON
  • Leith Summer Festival, Leith, ON
  • Aurora Cultural Centre, ON
  • Ottawa Chamberfest, Ottawa, ON
  • Women's Musical Club of Toronto, Toronto, ON
  • Cecilia Concerts, Halifax, NS
  • Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, Lunenburg, NS
  • Montreal Chamber Music Festival, Montreal, QC
  • Under the Spire Music Festival, Indian River, PEI
  • Rockport Chamber Music Festival, Rockport, MA
  • Friends of Chamber Music, Troy, NY 
  • Valley Concerts Society, Abbotsford, BC
  • Edmonton Chamber Music Society, AB
  • Chamber Music Society of Salt Lake City
  • Howland Chamber Music Circle

Meet the Isidore String Quartet

Isidore String Quartet, photo by Jiyang Chen

Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violins
Devin Moore, viola 
Joshua McClendon, cello

Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet was formed in 2019 with a vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the repertory. The quartet is heavily influenced by the Juilliard String Quartet and the idea of ‘approaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established.’

The members of the quartet are violinists Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violist Devin Moore, and cellist Joshua McClendon. The four began as an ensemble at the Juilliard School, and following a break during the global pandemic reconvened at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2021 under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick. In addition to Mr. Krosnick, the ISQ has coached with Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, Timothy Eddy, Donald Weilerstein, Atar Arad, Robert McDonald, Christoph Richter, Miriam Fried, and Paul Biss.

Their Banff triumph brings extensive tours of North America and Europe, a two-year appointment as the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas beginning in 2023-24, plus a two-week residency at Banff Centre including a professionally produced recording, along with extensive ongoing coaching, career guidance, and mentorship.

The Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Durham, Washington (JFK Center), San Antonio, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, and has collaborated with a number of eminent performers including James Ehnes, Jeremy Denk, Shai Wosner, and Jon Nakamatsu. Their 23/24 season will feature appearances in Berkeley (Cal Performances), Boston (Celebrity Series), Washington DC (Phillips Collection), New York (92nd St. Y), Chicago, Baltimore, Ann Arbor, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Tucson, Phoenix, Santa Fe, La Jolla, Aspen, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and at Dartmouth College, and Spivey Hall in Georgia, among many others. European highlights include Edinburgh, Lucerne, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hanover, Frankfurt, and Hamburg’s ElbPhilharmonie.

Outside the concert hall the quartet has worked with PROJECT: MUSIC HEALS US providing encouragement, education, and healing to marginalized communities - including elderly, disabled, rehabilitating incarcerated and homeless populations - who otherwise have limited access to high-quality live music performance. They have also been resident ensemble for the Contemporary Alexander School/Alexander Alliance International. In conjunction with those well-versed in the world of Alexander Technique, as well as other performers, the ISQ explores the vast landscape of body awareness, mental preparation, and performance practice.

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!

To partner with BISQC, contact BISQC Manager Lisa Ramsey at bisqc@banffcentre.ca.