Brooklyn Rider

Hailed as a vital and dynamic ensemble, Brooklyn Rider is dedicated to both in-depth interpretation of existing quartet music and to the creation of new works. The Brooklyn-based string quartet, who have traveled the world as members of Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project, have gathered influences and inspiration from around the world, and is known for its illuminating, raw, and edgy performances of adventurous, genre-defying repertoire. Recent collaborators include Irish fiddler Martin Hayes, singer-songwriter Christina Courtin, 2009 Prix de Rome winning composer Lisa Bielawa, and the innovative band 2 Foot Yard. “Few young artists are as versatile as the four gentlemen of the string quartet Brooklyn Rider,” says the New Yorker. They are “all classically trained to within an inch of their lives,” adds NPR, and All Things Strings writes: “Brooklyn Rider is a gifted string quartet that mixes the classics with the contemporary to create music that is emotionally exhilarating and intellectually stimulating.” The quartet’s name is inspired in part by the creations, interests and cross disciplinary visions of the Blue Rider group, an artistic association comprised of Vassily Kandinsky, Franz Marc, Arnold Schoenberg and Alexander Scriabin, to name a few. The quartet also draws additional inspiration from the exploding array of cultures and artistic energy found in the borough of Brooklyn in New York City, a place they also call home.