Gil Kalish and the Viano Quartet

Haydn: Quartet in D minor for Strings, Hob. III:83, Op. 103 (1803)

Mendelssohn: Quartet in D major for Strings, Op. 44, No. 1 (1838)

Brahms: Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 34 (1864)

About the Viano Quartet

Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet are one of the most sought-after young ensembles today and current members of CMS’s Bowers Program. Since soaring to international acclaim as winners of the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition, they have performed at major venues across the globe. 

During the 2024–25 season, the quartet makes its debut in Alice Tully Hall, followed by appearances at series including Wolf Trap, Tuesday Evening Concert Series, Northwestern University, Four Arts, MoCA Westport, Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and the chamber music societies of Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Carmel. In November, the quartet makes its debut in David Geffen Hall with Sir Stephen Hough for the world premiere of his new piano quintet. The quartet can be heard in Canada this season with debuts at the Cecilian Chamber Series as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and Isabel Bader PAC in Kingston in a program with guitarist Miloš Karadaglic. As the inaugural June Goldsmith Quartet-in-Residence for the Music in the Morning series through the 2024–25 season, the quartet will return to Vancouver this March for concerts and community engagement initiatives. 

The Viano Quartet has collaborated with world-class musicians including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Fleur Barron, James Ehnes, Mahan Esfahani, Marc-André Hamelin, Bridget Kibbey, Paul Neubauer, David Shifrin, and Elisso Virsaladze. 2023 marked the release of the quartet’s first album, Portraits, on the Curtis label, featuring pieces by Schubert, Florence Price, Tchaikovsky, and Ginastera. 

About Gil Kalish
The profound influence of pianist Gilbert Kalish as an educator and pianist in myriad performances and recordings has established him as a major figure in American music-making. In 2002 he received the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award for his significant and lasting contribution to the chamber music field and in 2006 he was awarded the Peabody Medal by the Peabody Conservatory for his outstanding contributions to music in America. He was the pianist of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for 30 years and was a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a group that flourished during the 1960s and 70s in support of new music. He is particularly well-known for his partnership of many years with mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani, as well as for current collaborations with soprano Dawn Upshaw and cellists Timothy Eddy and Joel Krosnick. As an educator and performer he has appeared at the Banff Centre, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, the Marlboro Music Festival, and Music@Menlo, where he serves as the international program director of the Chamber Music Institute. He also served as chairman of the Tanglewood faculty from 1985 to 1997. His discography of some 100 recordings embraces both the classical and contemporary repertories; of special note are those made with DeGaetani and that of Ives's Concord Sonata. A distinguished professor at Stony Brook University, Kalish has performed with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2004.