
Boston Globe“They do indeed play with a rare unity of intention and a clearly profiled collective voice, one that blends virtuosity and visceral expression in a way that produces a distinct ensemble personality…Many young quartets learn to express themselves eloquently, but this one, it is clear, also has something to say.”
The American Record Guide“Huge range of dynamics, massive sound, and spontaneity…all the warmth, balanced sound, rhythmic solidity, and elegance one could wish for.”
The New Yorker“…the Viano String Quartet, a superb North American group, played the unfinished Second Quartet, which makes one regret that Rachmaninoff neglected chamber music in his maturity.”
Dallas Morning News“Their trust and cohesiveness made it seem like they’ve been performing together all of their lives.”
San Francisco Classical Voice“The festival was fortunate in getting the Viano Quartet to play the sole string quartets of Ravel and Samuel Barber. The Viano players have an extraordinary facility with 20th-century music, and both of these pieces came out splendidly and with searing memorability.”
BachTrack“In a field of quartets that already were clearly working closely on stage, the Viano had created an especially strong sense of being composed of equals in Haydn, Debussy and Schubert.”
Calgary Herald“…the Viano Quartet was more extrovert, impressing the audience with its superlative account of Bartok’s Fourth String Quartet in the first round and bringing listeners to their feet with its thrilling account of Beethoven’s String Quartet, Op. 59, No. 3 (“Razumovsky”).”
Classical Voice North America“The group conveyed the soothing iterations of the melancholic melody with such control and comforting suspense that I didn’t want it to end.”
The Boston Musical Intelligencer“Viano led off with Jessie Montgomery’s string quartet hit, Strum. The sparse and semi-masked audience thundered its reception of the rhythmically charged work from 2006. No wonder the piece quickly lifted Montgomery into stardom and has since been widely performed. After their spectacular strumming performance, violinist Lucy Wang spoke about having wanted to get up and dance. There were piquant moments, too, and Viano’s gusto fit just right with Montgomery’s embrace of Black-American vibes…The Evergreen, Shaw’s 2020 string quartet in four movements: “Moss” as high-up harmonics; “Stem” as basic bowing; “Water” as pizzicato; and “Roots” as underlying ostinato. Shaw’s craft and Viano’s artistry was another fine fit…To wrap up their power-packed show, Viano continued with String Quartet No. 13, op 106, in G Major, Op. 106 by Czech master Antonín Dvořák…violist Kane offered moments of lyricism, and the quartet stirred passion in the third movement’s final run of the main theme and its quick directional shifts.”
Seen and Heard International“Glamorous, intoxicated by the full panoply of sound, color and dynamics.”
my/maSCENA“An ensemble ready for prime time…Control of dynamic subtlety and the ethereal features of impressionistic writing.”
Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet has quickly soared to international acclaim as one of the most dynamic and in-demand string quartets of their generation. Winners of the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2025, the ensemble has captivated audiences worldwide ever since they were awarded First Prize at the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition, with appearances at renowned venues such as Lincoln Center in New York, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Toronto’s Koerner Hall, Hong Kong’s City Hall, and London’s Wigmore Hall. The Viano Quartet are Bowers Program Artists at The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center from 2024-2027.
Highlights of the Viano Quartet’s 2025–26 season include debut performances at London’s Southbank Centre, the Frick Collection in New York, Dublin’s National Concert Hall, Coast Live Music, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, Apex Concerts, the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, the Fortas Series at the Kennedy Center, Premiere Performances HK, and a mainstage full recital debut at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. The quartet also makes return appearances at Stanford Live, Forte Chamber Music, the Beaches Fine Arts Series, the Buffalo Chamber Music Society’s Slee Series (for the second half of their Beethoven cycle), Chamber Music Albuquerque, and the Sanibel Music Festival. The quartet looks forward to visiting residencies this season at Stanford University through the St. Lawrence Legacy Series, the University of Victoria, Music in the Morning in Vancouver, and the Auditorium Chamber Music Series at the University of Idaho. This season also features exciting collaborations with mandolinist Avi Avital, pianist Sir Stephen Hough, pianist Gilbert Kalish, clarinetist Anthony McGill, guitarist Miloš Karadaglić, and singer-songwriter Vienna Teng.
Equally committed to both beloved masterworks and contemporary repertoire, the Viano Quartet actively collaborates with today’s leading composers, including Sir Stephen Hough, Kevin Lau, Chris Rogerson, and Caroline Shaw. They are set to premiere a newly written string quartet by Indian American composer Reena Esmail in the summer of 2026.
The quartet’s recent discography highlights the ensemble’s range across both traditional and modern repertoire. Their first full-length album Voyager was newly released in summer 2025 with Apple Music/Platoon Records. Inspired by humankind’s enduring spirit of exploration that connects music and people across vast boundaries, the album features Beethoven’s Op. 130 alongside Alistair Coleman’s Moonshot. Their debut EP Portraits was released in 2023 as one of the first albums to be launched on the Curtis Studio label, featuring works by Schubert, Florence Price, Tchaikovsky, and Ginastera.
Passionate about sharing their love for chamber music with the next generation of musicians, the quartet has worked with some of the most talented young artists at the world’s leading universities and music institutions, including Northwestern University, Music@Menlo Chamber Music Institute, the Colburn Academy, and Duke University. They have also collaborated with many of the world’s finest artists, including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Fleur Barron, Mahan Esfahani, Marc-André Hamelin, James Ehnes, Bridget Kibbey, Paul Neubauer, David Shifrin, and Pinchas Zukerman.
The Viano Quartet was formed in Los Angeles at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in 2015. Each member of the quartet is grateful for the unwavering support from their mentors at the Curtis Institute and Colburn Conservatory, including members of the Dover, Guarneri, and Tokyo string quartets.
“Viano” is a portmanteau that symbolizes how the four individual instruments of a string quartet—each beginning with the letter “v”—work harmoniously as one, like a piano, creating a unified instrument called the “Viano.”
JULY 2025