Aeolus Quartet

Isabelle Ai Durrenberger & Rachel Kitagawa Shapiro, violins

Caitlin Lynch, viola

Jia Kim, cello

With performances acclaimed for both “high-octane” excitement (Strad) and “dusky lyricism” (New York Times), the Aeolus Quartet is committed to presenting time-seasoned masterworks alongside cutting-edge new works with equal dedication and fervor. Throughout their seventeen seasons, the New York City-based Aeolus Quartet has been featured in concert at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Recital Hall, the Library of Congress, the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center, and at venues across the globe. Named for the Greek god Aeolus who governed the four winds, the Quartet is inspired by the idea of a single spirit uniting four individual forces as they pursue their craft.

Recently garnering praise by the Wall Street Journal for their “vibrant” performance with the Mark Morris Dance Group, the Aeolus Quartet’s 2026-2027 season includes a co-comission with Tippet Rise Art Center, San Antonio Chamber Music Society, and Chamber Music Columbus for a new work by composer/cellist Karen Ouzounian, as well as appearances at Chamber Music Boise, Reading Friends of Chamber Music, and a residency at Marlboro Music Festival.

Continually inspired by the art of collaboration, the Aeolus Quartet has been fortunate to perform alongside many of today’s leading artists including Renee Fleming, Ida Kavafian, Joel Krosnick, Michael Tree, Michelle Cann, and Paul Neubauer. 

The Aeolus Quartet has released several critically acclaimed albums of classical and contemporary works through Naxos and Azica labels. The Quartet’s Many-Sided Music initiative has produced two albums in an ongoing effort to promote works by American composers. Strong advocates for new music, the Aeolus Quartet has premiered works by Jonathan Bailey Holland and worked closely with composers such as John Corigliano, Keeril Makan, Andrea Casarrubios, Missy Mazzoli, Yevgeniy Sharlat, Timothy Mauthe, and Alexandra T Bryant.

Formed in 2008 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, The Aeolus Quartet’s awards include top prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition, Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition.  

Dedicated to sharing the joy of chamber music with new audiences, the Quartet was honored to receive a Chamber Music America Residency Partnership Grant and named the 2016 awardee of the Guarneri Quartet Residency. The Aeolus Quartet received the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association’s Educator Award and was awarded the John Lad Prize, which culminated in a residency at Stanford University. The Quartet has served as teaching faculty at Interlochen Center for the Arts, and has worked in collaboration with institutions such as the Smithsonian, the Juilliard School, MIT, Boston Conservatory, University of Texas at Austin, George Washington University, University of Virginia, and Portland State University. 

The Aeolus Quartet is grateful for the mentorship of Peter Salaff, Donald Weilerstein, Itzhak Perlman, and Mark Steinberg. They studied extensively with the Juilliard, Guarneri, St. Lawrence, Cavani, and Miró Quartets. Members of the Quartet hold degrees from the Juilliard School, New England Conservatory, Cleveland Institute of Music, University of Maryland, and University of Texas at Austin. The Aeolus Quartet held the position of Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School. 

Thanks to the generosity of the Five Partners Foundation, the Aeolus Quartet plays on four instruments crafted by Brooklyn luthier Samuel Zygmuntowicz.