Academy Chamber Music

The Academy’s robust chamber music program has resulted in numerous national competition gold, silver and bronze medals since its inception in 2006. Chamber ensembles are coached by Academy artist faculty.

Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition
Academy chamber groups have taken first place in the Junior Division in four of the past five years and earned five additional top medals.

Junior Division Gold Medal (6)

2018 - Kairos String Quartet - Joshua Brown and Julian Rhee, violin/viola, Thompson Wang, violin, Lydia Rhea, cello

2013 - Quartet Lumière  - Rebecca Benjamin and Gallia Kastner, violin, Mira Williams, viola, Josiah Yoo, cello

2012 - Quartet Stracciatella - Erika Gray and Hyun-Jae Lim, violin, Stephanie Block, viola, Johannes Gray, cello

2010 - Quartet Danaë  - Zachary Spontak and Sophia Cho, violin, Leah Ferguson, viola, Benjamin Fried, cello

2009 - Aurelia String Quartet - Susie Koh and Laura Park, violin, Arianna Smith, viola, Allan Steele, cello

2008 -  Quartet Polaris - Andrea Jarrett and Vincent Meklis, violin, Matthew Lipman, viola, Gabrial Cabezas, cello

Silver Medal (4)

2020 Dasani String Quartet - Isabella Brown, Katya Moeller, violin, Zechary Mo, viola, Brandon Cheng, cello (Virtual Competition)

2014 Vox Quartet - Hansuh Rhee and Serena Harnack, violin, Mira Williams, viola, Nathan Mo, cello

2010 Emerald Quartet - Kenneth Jones-Madrid, Ethan Hoppe, Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, violin/viola, Alexander Hersh, cello

2008 Ridere Quartet - Emma Steele, Ryan Meehan, Samantha Bennett, violin/viola, Mindy Park, cello

Bronze Medal (4)

2016 Vibrante String Quartet - Hannah White and Zachary Brandon, violin, Freya Irani, viola, Leevy Williams, cello

2012 Quartet Ardella - Laura Park and Jennifer Cha, violin, Devon Naftzger, viola, Ben Solomonow, cello

2009 Quartet Danae - Natsuki Kumagai and Sophia Cho, violin, Leah Ferguson, viola, Ben Fried, cello

2008 Aurelia String Quartet - Laura Park and Susie Koh, violin, Arianna Smith, viola, Allan Steele, cello

Honorable Mention (2)

2015 Atara String Quartet - Hannah White and Karisa Chiu, violin, Tess Krope, viola, Krystian Chiu, cello

2012 Pallas Trio - Kelly Talim, violin, Mariel Werner, cello, Kate Liu, piano 

St. Paul String Quartet Competition

2016 - 3rd, Quartet Degas - Maya Buchanan and Joshua Brown, violin, Tess Krope, viola, Josiah Yoo, cello

2015 - 1st, Gold, Atara String Quartet - Hannah White and Karisa Chiu, violin, Tess Krope, viola, Krystian Chiu, cello

2014 - 2nd, Silver, Atara String Quartet - Hannah White and Karisa Chiu, violin, Tess Krope, viola, Krystian Chiu, cello

2012 - Audience Prize and Haydn Prize for best interpretation of the master's work - Quartet Ventoso - Erika Gray and Jennifer Cha, violin, Caitlin Adamson, viola, Johannes Gray, cello
2010 - 1st, Gold, Emerald String Quartet - Kenneth Jones-Madrid, Ethan Hoppe, Clayton Penrose-Whitmore, violin/viola, Alexander Hersh, cello

2nd, Silver, Quartet Danae - Zachary Spontak and Sophia Cho, violin, Leah Ferguson, viola, Ben Fried, cello

2009 1st, Gold, Aurelia String Quartet - Laura Park and Susie Koh, violin, Arianna Smith, viola, Allan Steele, cello

2nd, Silver, Quartet Danae - Natsuki Kumagai and Sophia Cho, violin, Leah Ferguson, viola, Benjamin Fried, cello

2008 - Silver, Quartet Polaris - Andrea Jarrett and Vincent Meklis, violins, Matthew Lipman, viola, Gabriel Cabezas

2007 - 1st, Gold, Ridere Quartet - Emma Steele, violin, Ryan Meehan, violin, Samantha Bennett, violin, Mindy Park, cello

2nd, Silver, Zeloso Quartet - Scot Moore and Janis Sakai, violins, Moira Bette, viola, Eliott Lee, cello 

Concerts

The Academy presents four chamber music concerts each year. Piano trios, duos, string trios, quartets and quintets perform in Nichols Concert Hall in Evanston and in Bennett-Gordon Hall at the Ravinia Festival. Chamber groups often perform at high profile cultivation events, fund raisers and civic events in the Chicago area.

Here is a sampling of the repertoire performed over the past few years. 

Junior Academy Chamber Music Performances

• Arriaga - String Quartet #1 in d minor, movement one

• Beethoven - String Quartet opus 18, #4 - movement one

• Dubosarschi, Boris - Piano Trio #1, movement one

• Kodaly - Serenade for String Trio, movement one

• Mozart -  String Quartet in Bb Major, K. 172, movement three

String Quartet in C Major, K. 465, movement one

Sonata for Piano Four-Hands in D Major, K. 381 - first movement
Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major, K. 376, first and second movements

• Shostakovich -  Piano Trio #2 in e minor, movement one

String Quartet #8 - movements two and three

 
Senior Academy Chamber Music Performances

• Bartok -  String Quartet #3, movement one

String Quartet #4, movement five

• Beethoven - Piano Trio in Eb Major, opus 1, #1 - movement one

Piano Trio in c minor, opus 1, #3 - movement one
Piano Trio in D Major, opus 70, #1 ("Ghost"), movement one
Sonata for Cello and Piano in A Major, opus 69, movement one
Sonata for Violin and Piano in F Major, opus 24 ("Spring") - movement one

• Brahms - Hungarian Dance #1 in g minor (piano four hands)

Piano Trio #3 in C Major, opus 87, movement one
String Quartet in a minor, opus 51, #2 - movements one and four

• Bridge, Frank - String Quartet #2 in g minor

• Britten - String Quartet #2, opus 36, movement one

• Dohnanyi - Piano Quintet #1 in c minor, opus 1 - movement three

• Dvorak - Piano Quintet, movement one

Piano Trio in e minor ("Dumky"), movement four
String Trio, movement three

• Franck - Sonata for Violin and Piano

• Gardel, Carlos - String Quartet: Por una Cabeza
• Garrop, Stacy - "Demons and Angels" String Quartet, movement three
• Mendelssohn - String Quartet in A Major, opus 13, movement one
• Piazzola - Four for Tango

Verano Porteno for piano trio

• Prokofiev - String Quartet #2 in F Major, opus 92
• Rachmaninoff -   Suite #2 for Two Pianos, opus 17, movement one

Trio #1 in g minor, movement one

• Ravel - String Quartet, movements one and four
• Schoenfeld, Paul - Cafe Music, movements two and three
• Schubert - String Quartet in a minor, second movement
• Shostakovich - Piano Quintet in g minor, opus 57, movement three

String Quartet #1, movement one
String Quartet #3, movement three
String Quartet #7, movement one

• Smetana - Piano Trio in g minor, movement one

String Quartet #1 in e minor ("From my Life"), movement one