Sundays @ Four

Acknowledged as one of the finest young quartets in the country, the Baumer String Quartet was founded in 2003 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The members of the Quartet pursue parallel careers as international soloists, leaders and principal players of world-class orchestras, as members of eminent chamber groups, and as professors of music. Baumer String Quartet members perform with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, the Dallas Symphony, the Phoenix Symphony, the Utah Symphony, and the Santa Fe Opera. The Quartet comes together for limited touring engagements on a project-by-project basis, and rather than committing to a year-round schedule, the members of the Quartet meet for short musical residencies, providing a fresh perspective on interpretations of the traditional string quartet repertoire.

The Baumer String Quartet is quickly distinguishing itself among audiences and critics for their technical finesse, warmth of expression, and cutting-edge performances. Formerly known as the Kashii String Quartet, they won the Silver Medal at the 2005 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and Second Prize at the 2005 Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition. They worked closely with members of the Cleveland, Alban Berg, Vogler, Takács, Cavani, Borromeo, Brentano, Orion, St. Lawrence, and Juilliard String Quartets, as well as Isaac Stern in the “Stern Encounters” master class series. The Quartet was selected to participate in the International Artist Program at Music@Menlo, and worked closely with members of the Emerson String Quartet at Stony Brook University.

Dedicated to educating and inspiring young musicians, the Baumer SQ founded the week-long Monterey (CA) Chamber Music Workshop, where they offered tuition-free intensive chamber music sessions to local students. The quartet has also served on faculty at Crowden's Chamber Music Workshop and the Innsbrook Music Festival. Members of the Quartet hold and have held faculty positions at the University of Colorado Boulder, the University of South Florida, the University of North Texas, the University of Puget Sound, and Southern Methodist University. The Quartet has been invited as featured artists for residencies at the University of South Florida, University of North Texas, Southern Methodist University, and the University of South Dakota, which included performance collaborations with faculty and students, as well as masterclasses, open rehearsals, and other educational events.

Strong advocates for new music, members of the Quartet have collaborated with composers Krzysztof Penderecki, Bright Sheng, Joan Tower, Elliott Carter, and Jennifer Higdon. They have premiered works by Tan Dun, Pierre Jalbert, Lou Harrison, Sydney Hodkinson, and Conor Brown. The Quartet premiered Charles Krenner’s String Quartet no. 1, and performed the Turtle Island Quartet’s arrangement of Egberto Gismonti’s “Palhaço” with former Turtle Island Quartet member (and Crowden summer faculty member) Evan Price. In 2019, the Quartet premiered Quinn Mason’s String Quartet no. 2, in collaboration with Dallas-based Avant Chamber Ballet. Most recently, the Quartet was involved in the commission of “Sundial” for string quartet and percussion by Samuel Carl Adams. With guitarist David Tanenbaum, the Quartet recorded Aaron Jay Kernis’s “100 Greatest Dance Hits” on the Black Box label.

The Baumer String Quartet is a proud affiliate of InterMusic SF. Their album of string quartets by Mozart and Dvořák will be released in the next year.