Paul Aguilar, violin
Rachel Stenzel, violin
Eva Kennedy, viola
Hannah Moses, cello
Praised for their ‘intensity and bravura’ and ‘the cohesion and intonation one would expect from an ensemble twice their age’ (Third Coast Review), the Callisto Quartet brings together four dedicated and passionate musicians who share a love of chamber music and a genuine desire for excellence.
Since its formation in 2016 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the quartet has quickly won top prizes in nearly every major international chamber music competition and has received public acclaim in North America and Europe. Grand prize winners of the 2018 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and second prize winners of the 2019 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Callisto Quartet has also won prizes at the Bordeaux (2019), Melbourne (2018) and Wigmore Hall (2018) competitions. Currently a Graduate String Quartet in Residence at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, they also study with Günter Pichler of the Alban Berg Quartet at the prestigious Escuela Superior de Música Reina Sofía in Madrid, Spain.
The quartet has participated and performed in many renowned chamber music festivals such as the La Jolla Music Society Summer Festival, Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Emilia Romagna Festival, Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, McGill International String Quartet Academy, Juilliard String Quartet. In 2018, at the invitation of Gerhard Schulz, they took part in the Prussia Cove International Musicians Seminar where they also worked with Gidon Kremer and Thomas Adès. As part of their Wigmore Hall Competition prize, the quartet received an invitation to the Jeunesses Musicales International Chamber Music Campus in Weikersheim, Germany, where they worked with Heime Müller, Donald Weilerstein and the Casals Quartet.
Highlights of their recent performances include debuts in New York and Chicago in the Schneider Concert Series and at the Ravinia Festival, respectively, as well as at the Heidelberg String Quartet Festival. They were also featured at Carnegie’s Weill Recital Hall in July 2019 as grand prize winners of the chamber music division of the 4th Manhattan International Music Competition. Notable collaborations include appearances with cellist David Geringas at the Cleveland Cello Society’s 20th Anniversary Concert and a collaboration with clarinetist Frank Cohen on the ChamberFest Cleveland Series. Over the past two seasons they have collaborated with Paul Watkins, Lawrence Power, Gilles Vonsattel and John Novacek.
The Callisto Quartet is committed to continually expanding its musical horizons by drawing inspiration from a plethora of mentors and musical approaches. They also strongly believe in passing on their musical knowledge to young students and sharing their music in their communities. To this end, they have taught and given masterclasses at numerous schools and festivals, including Bravo International Chamber Music Workshop, University of Central Florida, Midwest Young Artists Conservatory, Greenville Fine Arts Center, and CIM Preparatory Division. They frequently perform in schools, nursing homes, and other community centres, and are featured as an ensemble-in-residence at the Carolina Music Museum in Greenville, SC.
