Isidore String Quartet

Winner 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 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.

Along with here at Cal Performances, in North America, the Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Boston, New York, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Durham, Washington DC, Houston, San Francisco, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and has collaborated with eminent performers including James Ehnes and Jeremy Denk. The quartet’s 2025–26 season includes performances in Philadelphia, Cleveland, Calgary, Tulsa, Pasadena, Santa Barbara, and New York; at Washington’s Library of Congress; and return engagements in Montreal, Houston, La Jolla, Phoenix, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and at Spivey Hall in Georgia. First-time collaborations include concerts with clarinetist Anthony McGill, cellist Sterling Elliott, and the Miró Quartet.

In Europe the quartet has performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and in Bonn (Beethoven Haus), Stuttgart, Cologne, and Dresden, among many other music centers. During 2025–26, the ensemble will make its debuts 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 No. 3 throughout North America and Europe. In February 2026, the members will premiere a new Childs quartet written expressly for them.

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 performances. 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 the 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!