About the New England String Quartet

Established in Boston, Massachusetts in 2007, the New England String Quartet (NESQ) is dedicated to expanding the contemporary chamber music tradition through performances, recordings, broadcasts, educational activities and community outreach projects. The ensemble seeks to develop robust collaborations with contemporary composers, soloists and other ensembles.
Its members are winners of numerous international competitions in the U.S. and abroad. NESQ has made numerous debut recordings of contemporary works on the PARMA label, including works by Alan Beeler, Michael Cunningham, Sarah Wallin-Huff, Larry Read, and Kyle Peter Rotolo. Among their recent world premieres are Romance and Descent No.1 (Brian Buch), Exquisitries and Light Excelleth Darkness  (Betsy Schramm) and String Quartet No.2  (Pasquale Tassone). The ensemble has been featured in concert series including 3rd Sundays @ 3, Menotomy, Bach’s Lunch, and the Chromatic Club of Boston, and can be heard on "Quadrants: Modern String Quartets" (2012, Navona Records).

The quartet is currently ensemble-in-residence at Harvard University's Dudley House and actively participates in community outreach and music education programs presenting performances, chamber music coachings, and lectures. Supported by The Foundation for the Advancement of String Education the quartet’s past educational activities include hands-on chamber music work and performances together with music students. Members of the quartet conduct extensive research on chamber music pedagogy, performance, and compositional styles, developing the lecture series Music Styles. These were presented at the 9th Annual Burnside Music Festival and Arlington High School as part of the Arlington Cultural Council program.

In 2012, NESQ launched and curated the public access television program Intermezzo, whose primary goal is to expose chamber music through performances, interviews with chamber music artists and composers, and educational presentations. The show is intended to cultivate a new generation of chamber musicians who are well-informed about both contemporary and classical music traditions.