The Composers String Quartet was a string quartet best known for performances of new works by contemporary composers, including quartets by
Elliott Carter and
Ruth Crawford Seeger. Carter's Fourth Quartet was dedicated to the Composers Quartet, who premiered the work in 1986. The group has performed quartets by more than 60 American composers, and has toured abroad extensively.
The quartet was founded in 1965, and remained active until the late 1990s. During the early 1970s it was the quartet-in-residence at
New England Conservatory
The New England Conservatory of Music (NEC) is a private music school in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the oldest independent music conservatory in the United States and among the most prestigious in the world. The conservatory is located on Hu ...
, where it sponsored a biennial composition prize. In 1975 the group became the quartet-in-residence at
Columbia University, remaining at Columbia for at least two decades.
Composers String Quartet to Perform at Miller
Columbia University Record, Oct. 28, 1994, Vol. 20, No. 8
Members
*Matthew Raimondi, violin
*Anahid Ajemian
Anahid Marguerite Ajemian (January 26, 1924 – June 13, 2016) was an American violinist of Armenian descent. Her career in contemporary music began from her desire to help young composers of her generation get their compositions performed. A ...
, violin
*Bernard Zaslav
Bernard Zaslav (April 7, 1926 – December 28, 2016) was an American viola soloist and chamber musician with an extensive recording and performance career. A founding member of The Composers Quartet in 1965, he went on to play with the Fine Arts ...
, viola (succeeded by Jean Dupouy, Jean Dane, and Ron Carbone; the quartet also recorded with violist Maureen Gallagher)
* Seymour Barab, cello (succeeded by Michael Rudiakov, Michael Haber and Mark Shuman)
References
External links
*
American string quartets
Musical groups established in 1965
Contemporary classical music ensembles
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