The Chamber Music Society is pleased to announce the appointment of two outstanding young ensembles, the Amphion String Quartet and the Danish String Quartet, to its prestigious CMS Two program beginning with the 2013-2014 season. Chosen from an international pool of applicants by a distinguished panel of performers, educators, and artistic administrators, each is an award-winning ensemble with exceptional musical training. Appointment to the three-year CMS Two residency program affords the young members of these quartets three full seasons of participation in every facet of CMS activity, including performances on all stages during the New York concert season; international and national tour appearances; recordings on both the in-house CMS Studio Recordings label, and the CMS Live! digital download series; concert broadcasts on American Public Media’s Performance Today, the CMS national radio series, Live From Lincoln Center television broadcasts, and numerous educational outreach opportunities. The depth of involvement reflects the commitment of CMS, under the leadership of artistic directors David Finckel and Wu Han, to foster an intergenerational roster of talent.

BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

Amphion String Quartet

Violinists Katie Hyun and David Southorn, violist Wei-Yang Andy Lin, and cellist Mihai Marica, first performed together at Sprague Hall at the Yale School of Music in February 2009. The overwhelmingly positive audience reception at this concert was the inspiration behind their mutual desire to pursue a career as the Amphion String Quartet.

Hailed for its “gripping intensity” and “suspenseful and virtuoso playing” by the San Francisco Classical Voice, the Amphion String Quartet was awarded First Prize in the Piano and Strings category as well as the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Plowman Chamber Music Competition held in Columbia, Missouri. It also received the First Prize at the Hugo Kauder String Quartet Competition in New Haven, CT. Recently the quartet has made appearances at the Beinecke Library at Yale University, the WMP Strad for Lunch Series in New York, and the Chelsea Art Museum.

The Amphion String Quartet has performed at the Mostly Music Festival with such renowned artists as Ani Kavafian, Carter Brey, and Ettore Causa. In the summer of 2010 the quartet was invited to the Beethoven Institute at Mannes College, where it worked closely with the Brentano Quartet, and to the Music@Menlo International Program in California. This past summer the quartet enjoyed an intense performance schedule at the OK Mozart Festival, and as the Protégé Quartet-in-Residence at Chamber Music Northwest where it had the opportunity to collaborate with clarinetist David Shifrin. In addition to its passion for performing, each member of the Amphion String Quartet has an affinity for educational opportunities. While at Chamber Music Northwest the quartet had numerous opportunities to coach students, from elementary to high school age, through master classes, performances, and private coaching sessions.

Highlights of the 2011-2012 season include an appearance at the Schneider Concert Series in NYC, a world premiere of a string quartet by John Sichel in New Jersey, as well as performances at the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Tertulia Chamber Music series.