The acclaimed Verona Quartet, among the most distinguished ensembles on the chamber music scene today, makes its return appearance in our series with a program inspired by songs. The Schubert and Mendelssohn string quartets take their inspiration from their own songs “Death and the Maiden” and “Ist es wahr?”. George Walker wrote his “Lyric” for string quartet after his graduation from Oberlin Conservatory (where the Verona Quartet are in residence) based on the lyrical sound of the human voice and spirit. Canadian singer and songwriter Tanya Tagaq uses an ingenious imagination of imparting traditional Inuk throat singing onto the sound of western string instruments.

EPSG:4326

Cecilian Chamber Series - Verona Quartet

Darke Hall

Donald Runnicles makes his Festival debut conducting Mahler’s consummate fusion of song cycle and symphony, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth), performed here in its intimate chamber orchestra version. Mahler was reeling from the loss of his daughter and other crises when he wrote this deeply moving work, and the poems he set to music evoke the beauty, sadness, and transience of life. An all-star ensemble is joined by two extraordinary soloists who are also making their Festival debuts: German mezzo-soprano Annika Schlicht, whose voice OperaWire has praised as “extraordinary for its beauty of tone,” and American heldentenor Clay Hilley, who was lauded by The New York Times for his “vocal heft [and] clarion sound.” 

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

New Mexico Museum of Art

International guitar sensation Łukasz Kuropaczewski is joined by violinist Danbi Um, the Verona Quartet, and double bassist Mark Tatum for a program of Italian charm and splendor. Two dazzling duo sonatas by Giuliani and Paganini are framed by two of Vivaldi’s warm and energetic guitar concertos in this tribute to the guitar’s beauty, versatility, and enduring appeal.

Italian Splendor: Vivaldi, Giuliani & Paganini

Grammy-nominated clarinetist Todd Palmer joins the Verona Quartet in Osvaldo Golijov’s celebrated quintet The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind, an epic journey that invokes both the divinity of prayer and the freewheeling world of klezmer. The Verona then joins guitarist Łukasz Kuropaczewski for Castelnuovo-Tedesco’s Guitar Quintet, which the composer described as a “melodious and serene work written almost in a Schubertian vein.” 

Golijov: The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind

The Verona Quartet—called a “powerhouse” ensemble by Classical Voice America—makes their Festival debut with a rich and wide-ranging recital program that includes the last of Mozart’s charming Milanese quartets, Britten’s delicate and ethereal Third Quartet, and Verdi’s only string quartet, which transports listeners into the world of Italian opera on a small yet potent scale. 

Verona Quartet

A recital featuring the Chamber Orchestra of the Arts & Sciences Chamber Collective, under the direction of the Verona Quartet, in Finney Chapel.

Concert: Arts & Sciences Chamber Collective, Chamber Orchestra

Oberlin College

A faculty and guest recital featuring the Verona Quartet with clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein in a performance of Osvaldo Golijov's 1994 work titled The Dreams and Prayers of Isaac the Blind in Warner Concert Hall. This program is presented with the support of the Oberlin College Jewish Studies program.

Faculty and Guest Recital: Verona Quartet and Alexander Fiterstein, clarinet

Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Acclaimed for its “bold interpretive strength, robust characterization and commanding resonance” (Calgary Herald), the Verona Quartet has firmly established itself amongst the most distinguished ensembles on the chamber music scene today. The group’s singular sense of purpose most recently earned them Chamber Music America’s coveted 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award, and a reputation as an “outstanding ensemble… cohesive yet full of temperament” (The New York Times). A string quartet for the 21st century, the Verona Quartet champions the rich breadth of the string quartet repertoire from the time-honored canon through contemporary classics. The evening’s program will include the world premiere of a work by Korean-born American composer Texu Kim that was commissioned by Texas Performing Arts.

McCallum Theatre

The group has previously won prizes at the Wigmore Hall, Melbourne, Osaka, and M-Prize competitions, and received the 2015 Concert Artists Guild Competition. As recipients of the Cleveland award they will be presented by, among other concert venues, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society, Carnegie Hall, Chamber Music Society of Detroit, and the University of Texas at Austin

Verona Quartet at Buffalo CMS

Kleinhans Music Hall

The Verona Quartet returns to the Spanish Courtyard with Inflection Points, a program focusing on societal changes every 100 years through the lens of music.  As the 2017–18 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence, the ensemble has a long-standing history with the Caramoor, including a highly praised 2021 performance of Ligeti and Dvořák that showcased their "cohesive and thoughtful" approach.

The Rosen House at Caramoor

Acclaimed as an “outstanding ensemble…cohesive yet full of temperament” (The New York Times), the Verona Quartet has firmly established itself amongst the most distinguished ensembles on the chamber music scene today. The group’s singular sense of purpose most recently earned them Chamber Music America’s coveted 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award, and a reputation for its “bold interpretive strength, robust characterization and commanding resonance” (Calgary Herald). The Quartet serves on the faculty of the Oberlin College and Conservatory as the Quartet-in-Residence. In addition to its position at Oberlin, the Quartet holds residencies at Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance and North Carolina’s Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. As committed advocates of diverse programming, the Verona Quartet curates the UpClose Chamber Music Series on behalf of the COT, electrifying audiences from concert halls to craft breweries with their “sensational, powerhouse performance[s]” (Classical Voice America).

Verona Quartet

Jul 24, 2026

Verona Quartet

Sep 6, 2026

VERONA QUARTET with ALEXANDER FITERSTEIN, clarinet

Nov 2, 2025

Cecilian Chamber Series - Verona Quartet

Aug 5, 2024

Mahler: Das Lied von der Erde

Verona Quartet