Aizuri Quartet to disband after thirteen years

Read more news stories here

The US-based Aizuri Quartet has announced its decision to disband at the end of the current concert season.

’It has been a joyful and momentous journey making music together, and we are proud of all the wide-ranging programmes and projects that we have shared with audiences over the years,’ the quartet stated on social media.

’Throughout all of the Quartet’s iterations, we have remained committed to the group’s mission of community, collaboration, and curiosity, and we continue to celebrate this legacy in each of our individual careers.

’Although this chapter of our lives may be coming to a close, all four of us look forward to the future with excitement and anticipation because of the powerful impact that this quartet has had on our lives and the music world.

’To all of our cherished friends, family, and collaborators, thank you for your continued support. We truly could not have done it without each and every one of you, and we will be forever grateful. We can’t wait to share our new musical chapters with you all!’ 

The quartet will give its final recital on 25 April 2025 as part of the Music for Food series at Broadway Presbyterian Church, with all proceeds benefiting the homeless and hungry through Broadway Community.

The programme will include a selection of commissioned and existing works significant to the quartet, featuring works by Jennifer Higdon, Franz Schubert, Silvestre Revueltas, Paul Wiancko, and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel. 

The current members of the Aizuri Quartet are Emma Frucht and Miho Saegusa on violins, Brian Hong on viola and Caleb van der Swaagh. Founded in 2012, the quartet was named the recipient of the 2022 Cleveland Quartet Award by Chamber Music America. Other honours include the Grand Prize at the 2018 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and top prizes at the 2017 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan and the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London. 

The Aizuri’s debut album, Blueprinting, was nominated for a Grammy Award in 2019 and named one of NPR Music’s Best Classical Albums of 2018. The quartet released its second album, Earthdrawn Skies, in 2023 and featured music by Hildegard of Bingen, Komitas Vartapet, Eleanor Alberga and Jean Sibelius.

Playing

In The Best of Technique you’ll discover the top playing tips of the world’s leading string players and teachers. It’s packed full of exercises for students, plus examples from the standard repertoire to show you how to integrate the technique into your playing.

Teaching

The Strad’s Masterclass series brings together the finest string players with some of the greatest string works ever written. Always one of our most popular sections, Masterclass has been an invaluable aid to aspiring soloists, chamber musicians and string teachers since the 1990s.

Calendars

The Canada Council of the Arts’ Musical Instrument Bank is 40 years old in 2025. This year’s calendar celebrates some its treasures, including four instruments by Antonio Stradivari and priceless works by Montagnana, Gagliano, Pressenda and David Tecchler.