Los Angeles’ Calder Quartet strives to maintain the highest level of musicianship. Equally proficient at executing Béla Bartók’s string quartets as they are performing Christopher Rouse’s newest commissioned works, the Calder Quartet’s success has escalated steadily since the group’s inception in 1997. Following their undergraduate studies at The University of Southern California (USC), the members of the Calder Quartet spent two years in The Colburn School graduate program. Upon completion, the Calder Quartet continued graduate studies at the Julliard School of Music and was simultaneously recruited by The Colburn School as the Quartet-In-Residence. The Calder Quartet distinguished itself as a Juilliard Graduate Resident String Quartet, achieving the Artist Diploma in Chamber Music Studies. Named after provocative American sculptor and visual artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet remains similarly unafraid to challenge convention. The Calder Quartet engages in innovative collaboration with a variety of musicians, and has performed with The Airborne Toxic Event, Vampire Weekend, Andrew W.K., and composer Terry Riley. The Calder Quartet has released multiple CDs encompassing a myriad of styles. A regular guest of festivals across the country, the Calder Quartet has appeared at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s The West Coast, Left Coast festival and the Disney Hall’s Green Umbrella Series, among others. Invited to Stockholm by composer Thomas Adès in 2009, the Calder Quartet has begun building an international reputation. The Calder Quartet co-founded the Carlsbad Music Festival in 2004 with composer Matt McBane. Through the Festival, the Calder Quartet continues to direct its own outreach and commissioning programs in Southern California. The Calder Quartet generously supports the alternative classical music scene, actively promoting the next generation of young composers and ensembles.
