VC Artist Calidore Quartet Performs Caroline Shaw's "Three Essays"

Advocates of new music, the acclaimed string quartet performed and discussed the work with the composer herself

The Calidore String Quartet is made up of Ryan Meehan, Jeff Myers, Jeremy Berry, and Estelle Choi.

In addition to performing, the group's members are Co-Directors of the University of Delaware's (UD) Graduate String Quartet Fellowship program. Open to pre-formed string quartets whose members do not already hold a Master of Music in Performance, applications are now open.

"Career mentorship and advancement is a key element of our program," Ryan Meehan told The Violin Channel. "Many schools train their students to play at a high level but offer little guidance on how to cultivate a professional career. Our students are instructed on everything from programming and repertoire choice to communication etiquette with presenters/managers as well as effective and efficient competition/concert preparation."

Aside from their work at UD, the Calidore StringQuartet are former top prize winners at the M-Prize, Fischoff, Hamburg, and ARD International Chamber Music Competitions.

The group has given world premieres of works by Caroline Shaw, Hannah Lash and Mark-Anthony Turnage among others.

Below, as part of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's Composers in Focus series, the Calidore String Quartet performs Caroline Shaw's Three Essays and joins her for a discussion of the work.