Isabelle Durrenberger assumes the role, replacing founding member Nicholas Tavani
The New York-based Aeolus Quartet has announced the appointment of Isabelle Durrenberger as its new first violinist. She succeeds Nicholas Tavani, who has accepted a college teaching position in South Florida, along with his wife, composer Alexandra T Bryant.
Durrenberger joins violinist Rachel Shapiro, violist Caitlin Lynch, and cellist Jia Kim in the Aeolus Quartet.
’We are thrilled to welcome Isabelle to the group. A longtime friend of the quartet, Isabelle commands a tremendous power of expression and a beautiful innate sense of musicality. We could not be more excited for this new chapter and for the musical journey ahead,’ the quartet commented.
The members of the Aeolus Quartet acknowledged Tavani for 16 years of music making, remarking ’We send Nick off with infinite love and deep gratitude for the courageous vision and generous spirit he helped to instill in the quartet from the very beginning.
’As a founding member of the quartet, his myriad contributions are truly immeasurable, and will continue to resonate long after his departure. He is and always will be a treasured friend and member of the Aeolus family.’
American violinist Durrenberger is currently based in New York City and is a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect programme.
An avid chamber musician, Durrenberger’s 2024-25 season features solo and collaborative invitations including performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, The Knights, and the Grammy-nominated conductorless chamber orchestra, A Far Cry.
Durrenberger completed her graduate studies at New England Conservatory in Boston with Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein. She spent recent summers making chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Four Seasons Spring Workshop.
As a teacher, Durrenberger has a private violin studio in New York City and serves on the violin faculty at New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston where she teaches violin lessons and coaches chamber music.
The Aeolus Quartet was formed in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music and has performed in venues ranging from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center and Lincoln Center’s Great Performer Series to Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall, to Dupont Underground, a subterranean streetcar station in DC’s Dupont Circle.
The ensemble served as the 2013-2015 Juilliard Graduate Resident String Quartet and is currently Quartet-in-Residence at Musica Viva NY.
Upcoming performances for the Aeolus Quartet include performances for Friends of Chamber Music Reading in Pennsylvania on 21 February 2025 and Friends of Classical Music in Jacksonville, OR on 30 March 2025.
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