Catalyst Quartet

Hailed by the New York Times at their Carnegie Hall debut as “invariably energetic and finely burnished…playing with earthy vigor,” Catalyst Quartet is comprised of top Laureates and alumni of the internationally acclaimed Sphinx Competition. Known for “rhythmic energy, polyphonic clarity and tight ensemble-playing,” the ensemble has toured throughout the United States and abroad, including sold-out performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington DC, at Chicago’s Harris Theater, Miami’s New World Center and Stern Auditorium at Carnegie hall. The quartet has also appeared as concerto soloists with the Bogotá Filharmónica, The Sphinx Virtuosi, and The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra.

Catalyst Quartet has held concert residencies at the University of Michigan, University of Washington, Rice University, Houston’s Society for the Performing Arts, Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, the Virginia Arts Festival, and Pennsylvania. International residencies where they perform and teach master classes have included the In Harmony Project in England, the University of South Africa, and the Teatro de Bellas Arts in Cali, Colombia. Their recordings span the scope of their interests and artistry, including The Bach / Gould Project – Catalyst Quartet’s debut recording featuring the members’ own arrangement of J.S. Bach’s monumental Goldberg Variations paired with Glenn Gould’s seminal String Quartet, on the Azica label. Also Strum, featuring string works by CQ violinist, composer Jessie Montgomery, Bandaneon y cuerdas, tango inspired music for string quartet and Bandaneon by JP Jofre, and Dreams and Daggers, Cecile McLorin Salvants tremendous 2 disk album, featuring the Catalyst Quartet in a unique musical role. CQ has performed on numerous television and radio broadcasts for Detroit Public Television, American Public Media’s Performance Today, and Chicago, Houston, Seattle and Vermont local stations. The ensemble was also featured in the Strad and Strings Magazine. Catalyst Quartet has been invited as guest artists at important music festivals, Mainly Mozart in San Diego, The Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Sitka Music Festival, Juneau Jazz and Classics, and the Grand Canyon Music Festival. In 2014, they opened the Festival del Sole in Napa with Joshua Bell. Recent seasons have brought international touring in Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, and Puerto Rico. The Catalyst Quartet serve as principal faculty at the Sphinx Performance Academy at The Cleveland Institute of Music and Roosevelt University.