CHAMBER · STRING QUARTET
Ariel Quartet
30th Anniversary
Celebrating in 2028 Cleveland Quartet
Winning Ensemble University of Cincinnati
Quartet-in-Residence ABOUT
Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide for more than a quarter of a century. Formed when the members were just teenagers, the Ariel was recently named recipient of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award granted by Chamber Music America. In addition to maintaining a busy international touring schedule, the Quartet serves as the Faculty Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music.
The Ariel has performed at leading venues across the globe, including Carnegie Hall, the Lincoln Center, the Kennedy Center and the Kaisersaal in Frankfurt. Their recording of Brahms and Bartók for Avie Records has been critically acclaimed, and they regularly collaborate with artists such as Inon Barnatan, the Mark Morris Dance Group, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.
In the 2025-26 season, the Ariel Quartet continues its tradition of vibrant chamber music-making with performances presented by some of the nation’s leading cultural organizations. Their engagements include appearances with the Bender JCC-GW, Chamber Music Society of Central Kentucky, Chamber Music in Oklahoma, the Jay and Susie Gogue Performing Arts Center at Auburn University, the Perlman Music Program/Suncoast, and The Crypt Sessions.
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Renowned for their interpretations of Beethoven’s quartets, the Ariel Quartet has performed the complete Beethoven cycle numerous times throughout the United States and Europe. They regularly collaborate with eminent musicians, including pianists Jeremy Denk and Orion Weiss, cellists Paul Watkins and Claudio Bohorquez and in 2020, the Quartet gave the U.S. premiere of the Quintet for Piano and Strings by Daniil Trifonov with the composer as pianist. They have also served as Quartet-in-Residence for leading institutions such as the Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program.
The Ariel was mentored extensively by acclaimed string quartet giants Walter Levin and Paul Katz, and they have won numerous international prizes: 2003 First Prize at the Franz Schubert Competition in Graz/Austria, the Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Székely Prize for the performance of Bartók’s String Quartet No. 4, and Third Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition. The American Record Guide described the group as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and noted, in particular, their playing of Beethoven’s monumental Quartet in A minor, Op. 132, as “the pinnacle of the competition.”
The Ariel Quartet has received significant support from the American-Israel Cultural Foundation, Dov and Rachel Gottesman, and the Legacy Heritage Fund, and were awarded a grant from the A.N. and Pearl G. Barnett Family Foundation.
Beyond their musical pursuits, the members of the Ariel Quartet bring a rich diversity of passions to their lives. Gershon is a programming enthusiast and espresso aficionado, known for his expertise in spreadsheets and his love of Satsivi and Bourbon. Sasha, a supermom of two boys, channels her creativity through arts and crafts and finds joy in hiking and the outdoors. Jan, a private chef-level culinary artist, is a home barista and father of three girls, and Amit, a master baker and pastry expert, delights in perfecting her cappuccino craft while being a supermom of the same three girls.
For more information visit www.arielquartet.com
PRESS & REVIEWS
What the critics say
“…a gripping and often very subtle reading, setting ear-melting tenderness against seething passion with a deft and precise touch.”
— The Washington Post
“a gift for filling the pristine structures of Classicism with fire”
— The New York Times
“a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power”
— American Record Guide
VIDEOS
Videos
2026-27
Programs & Repertoire
Program One
- Mendelssohn String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13
- Caroline Shaw Blueprint
- Intermission
- Beethoven String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132
Program Two
- Haydn String Quartet in C major, Op. 33, No. 3 "The Bird"
- Bartók String Quartet No. 3
- Intermission
- Brahms String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1, No. 1
Program Three
- Schubert Rosamunde
- Lera Auerbach String Quartet No. 10 "Frozen Dreams"
- Intermission
- Beethoven String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 130; Grosse Fuge, Op. 133
Program Four
Ariel Quartet + Orion Weiss, piano
- Brahms String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51, No. 1, No. 1
- Intermission
- Dohnányi Piano Quintet in C minor, Op. 1
Program One
Vienna: A Schubert Celebration
- Haydn String Quartet in B-flat major, Op. 50, No. 1
- Caroline Shaw Blueprint
- Intermission
- Schubert String Quartet in G major, D. 887
Program Two
Life Cycle of the String Quartet
- Beethoven String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 18, No. 3
- Lera Auerbach String Quartet No. 11 (commissioned for the Ariel Quartet)
- Intermission
- Brahms String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2
Program Three
Pintscher Commission
To celebrate their 30th season, Matthias Pintscher writes the Ariel Quartet a new work, Makom/Place, exploring the meaning of space, place, and home. Program TBA.
On Stage
Featured Projects
Ariel Quartet & Orion Weiss
String Quartet and Piano
The Ariel Quartet first met the brilliant pianist Orion Weiss when they studied together as teenagers at the Perlman Music Program. Now in their mid-forties with flourishing careers, they continue to collaborate regularly. Alongside the cornerstone piano quintets of Dvořák, Brahms, and Schumann, they offer rarely heard masterpieces by Bloch, Korngold, and Dohnányi.
Beethoven Cycle
String Quartet
The Ariel Quartet performs the complete cycle of Beethoven's string quartets, a project the ensemble first undertook in Cincinnati and has since presented across the United States and Europe, completing the full cycle before any of its members turned 30. They have performed the cycle in Berlin and for Napa's Music in the Vineyards Festival, and presented a Beethoven cycle at New York's SubCulture that included a midnight performance of the Grosse Fuge.
Folklore
String Quartet and Cello
The Ariel Quartet joins forces with acclaimed cellist Alisa Weilerstein — a longtime friend and collaborator — for a program built around a newly commissioned cello quintet by the rising composer Joseph Hallman, who has written for Weilerstein before.