BIAVA QUARTET

Mary Persin viola
Hyunsu Ko violin
Austin Hartman violin
Jason Calloway cello

The Biava Quartet is recognized as one of today's most exciting young American quartets. Winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and top prizes at the Premio Borciani and London International Competitions, the Quartet has established an enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad, impressing audiences with its sensitive artistry and communicative power. The Quartet takes its name from Maestro Luis Biava, who has been a mentor and inspiration to the Quartet since its inception.

The members of the Biava Quartet, violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin, and cellist Jason Calloway, hold the Lisa Arnhold Quartet Residency at the Juilliard School, serving as graduate quartet in residence and teaching assistants to the Juilliard Quartet. The Quartet previously held the same position with the Tokyo Quartet at Yale University and was the first ensemble to complete the Training Program in the Art of the String Quartet at the New England Conservatory of Music under the direction of Paul Katz.

The Biava Quartet has performed to acclaim in major concert halls throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, the Library of Congress, London's Wigmore Hall and the Baroque Art Hall in Seoul. Other highlights from recent seasons include appearances at the Mostly Mozart and Aspen Music Festivals, Chautauqua Institution, and Pacific Music Festival in Japan.

Dedicated to the performance of the classical repertoire, the Biava Quartet also maintains a strong commitment to the commissioning and performance of contemporary works. The Quartet has championed the music of American composers Mason Bates, William Bolcom, John Harbison and Ezra Laderman. Working closely with composer Stacy Garrop, the Biava Quartet premiered and recorded her Second String Quartet "Demons and Angels" with CD release in the fall of 2007. Equally, the Quartet has explored interdisciplinary work, including a dramatization of the Dreyfus affair with Ensemble for the Romantic Century at the Kosciuszko Foundation and an investigation into Elgar and Edwardian art at the Yale Center for British Art.

The Biava Quartet is committed to educating and inspiring audiences of all ages and is frequently invited to lead masterclasses, community, and educational programs at schools and conservatories throughout the country. The Quartet has served as ensemble in residence and faculty members at the Indiana University Summer Strings Academy, the Innsbrook Institute, San Diego Chamber Music Festival and Heifetz International Music Institute. Recipients of a 2006 Chamber Music America grant in collaboration with the Hill and Hollow Chamber Music Series, the members of the Quartet have invested themselves in the growth of arts in communities.

The Biava Quartet has recorded on the Naxos and Cedille Record labels and has been heard on London's BBC Radio 3 and numerous national radio broadcasts. The Quartet has been featured in Strings and Strad Magazines and is the subject of an upcoming PBS documentary film.

Founded in 1998 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the members of the Biava Quartet hold advanced degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Southern California, Yale University and The Juilliard School.