Artaria String Quartet
Ray Shows (violin); Nancy Oliveros (violin);
Annalee Wolf (viola); Laura Sewell (cello)
A warm, rich sound is the hallmark of the Artaria String Quartet. Named after the Italian family that published the premier issues of many of the Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven quartets, Artaria's refined and thoughtful playing has brought them critical acclaim in Europe and throughout the United States. The Boston Globe has described Artaria as "exquisitely balanced and sonorous" and opined that "their musical understanding was first-rate".
Formed in Boston in 1986, the quartet was mentored by the renowned Budapest, La Salle, Kolisch, Juilliard, and Cleveland Quartets. They were featured on a Peter Jennings World News Tonight broadcast, have given numerous live performances on WGBH Boston and Minnesota Public Radio stations, and have performed at celebrated venues across the United States including the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston, the Schneider Concerts in NYC, Dame Myra Hess in Chicago, and the Phillips Collection and Cosmos Club in Washington, D.C. They have also been featured at the Banff Centre in Canada, Festival de L'Epau in France, and the Tanglewood Music Center. They are recipients of the prestigious McKnight Fellowship for Performing Musicians.
Nationally recognized as dynamic teachers and for their commitment to education, the Artaria String Quartet served as Ensemble-in Residence and Artist/Teachers at the world-renowned Tanglewood Institute and were awarded two highly sought after "Millennium Grants" for outreach activities from the National Endowment for the Arts and Chamber Music America. They possess the rare ability to offer outstanding performances in both concert and educational outreach settings and have performed hundreds of programs to thousands of students throughout the United States.
Participants in the inaugural Rural Residency Grant from the National Endowment for the Arts to live and work in rural Georgia, the quartet also partnered in a three-year CMA grant to enhance string education in Sioux City, Iowa. In the mid-1990's, Artaria held dual residencies at Boston College and Viterbo University.
The quartet is now based in Saint Paul, Minnesota, where they present a chamber music series in Sundin Hall at Hamline University. In addition, they have established the Artaria Chamber Music School, a year-round quartet program, Stringwood, a summer camp, and Winterstrings and Winterstrings in July; two retreats for adult amateurs. Members of the quartet also maintain active careers in performing and teaching on the faculties of St. Olaf and Carleton Colleges.
Firmly rooted in the tradition of chamber music masterpieces, the Artaria String Quartet is also a staunch advocate of contemporary composers. With the American Composers Forum, League ISCM, and through their own initiative, they have premiered a wide array of new works and have numerous dedications to their credit. The quartet's performances are recorded on Centaur Records and Aequebis Recordings.
