Wendy Yun Chen, 1er violin (1999-2016)
Elisabeth Fayette, 1er violin (2016-)
Jessica Shuang Wu, 2ème violin
Yinzi Kong, viola
Guang Wang, cello
The Harid Quartet has changed its name to the Vega Quartet.
The Vega String Quartet, Quartet in Residence at Emory University, is cultivating a new generation of chamber music lovers through dynamic performances and innovative community engagement. The New York Times declared that “the [Quartet’s] playing had a kind of intoxicating quality, drawing the listener in…the musicians took real risks in their musical creation” and the L.A. Times hailed their “triumphant L.A. debut”.
They perform nationally and internationally, most recently in Baltimore, Chicago, Nashville, Sacramento, Berlin, San Miguel and the Brahmssaal of the Musikverein in Vienna. The Quartet’s major projects at Emory have included performances of the complete cycle of Beethoven quartets, as well as recordings of the complete Bach works for solo violin, viola and cello with the six Bartók quartets. They have also developed a series of “Jazz Meets Classics” programmes, bringing the two genres together. Recently the quartet made its debut at the famous Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, toured several cities in Denmark, with performances at venues such as the Royal Danish Conservatory, and appeared at El Paso Pro Musica and the Sitka Music Festival.
What does VEGA mean?
Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra. According to Greek mythology, this constellation represents the lyre that belonged to the legendary musician Orpheus.
A unique aspect of the Quartet’s residency at Emory is bringing performances into the classroom, collaborating with university professors to create parallels and interdisciplinary dialogues. They also enrich the cultural life of their community, having founded the Emory Youth Chamber Music program, which provides intensive small ensemble training to advanced pre-college students. The Quartet has been named to the Woodruff Arts Center’s Young Audience program, engaging thousands of students throughout the Atlanta school system. They have also held residencies in Augusta, Jacksonville and Juneau that combined traditional concerts with educational activities, performances in non-traditional venues and master classes for local students.
The Vega Quartet has won numerous international awards, including the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, as well as top prizes in the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, the Carmel Chamber Music Competition and the Société Nationale des Arts et Lettres String Quartet Competition. They tour throughout Asia, Europe and North America and have appeared at Weill Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic and Duke Hall at the Royal Academy of Music in London.
Members of the Vega Quartet collaborate with some of the world’s finest musicians, including Eliot Fisk, Christopher O’Riley, William Preucil, Richard Stoltzman, Robert Spano, Charles Wadsworth and the Eroica Trio. They also commission, perform and record works by renowned composers.
The Quartet is a frequent guest at many music festivals, including Amelia Island, Aspen, Brevard, Highlands-Cashiers, Juneau Jazz & Classics, Kingston, Mostly Mozart, Rockport, San Miguel de Allende and SummerFest La Jolla.
