Isidore String Quartet

Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violins
Devin Moore, viola
Clara Abel, cello

Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet was formed in 2019 with a vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the repertory.  The quartet is heavily influenced by the Juilliard String Quartet and the idea of ‘approaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established.’

The quartet began as an ensemble at the Juilliard School, and has coached with Joel Krosnick, Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, and numerous others.

In North America, the Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Boston, New York, Berkeley, Chicago, Ann Arbor, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Durham, Washington DC, Houston, San Francisco, New Orleans, Cincinnati, Toronto, Montreal, and Vancouver, and has collaborated with several eminent performers including James Ehnes, Sterling Elliot, Anthony McGill, the Miró Quartet and Jeremy Denk. Their 2026/27 season includes performances in Denver, Ottawa, Aspen, Tucson and San Antonio, with return engagements to Boston, New York, Seattle, Vancouver, Cincinnati , Memphis, San Francisco and New Orleans. First-time collaborators include pianist Conrad Tao; they will also continue to perform with pianist Jeremy Denk and cellist Sterling Elliott.

In Europe they have performed at Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, and in Bonn (Beethoven Haus), Stuttgart, Cologne, and Dresden, among many others. During the 2025/26 season, they made their debuts in Paris (Philharmonie) and London (Wigmore Hall).

Over the past several years, the quartet has developed a strong connection to the works of composer and pianist Billy Childs, performing his Quartets No. 2 and 3 throughout North America and Europe.  In February 2026 they premiered a new Childs quartet written expressly for them, Quartet No. 4 (“American Mosaic”).

Both on stage and outside the concert hall, the Isidore Quartet is deeply invested in connecting with youth and elderly populations, and with marginalized communities who otherwise have limited access to high-quality live music performance.  They approach music as a “playground” and attempt to break down barriers to encourage collaboration and creativity.  The name Isidore recognizes the ensemble’s musical connection to the Juilliard Quartet:  one of that group’s early members was legendary violinist Isidore Cohen.  Additionally, it acknowledges a shared affection for a certain libation - legend has it a Greek monk named Isidore concocted the first genuine vodka recipe for the Grand Duchy of Moscow!

10/2026