The Lyris Quartet, described as “radiant…excellent… and powerfully engaged” by Mark Swed of the LA Times, was founded in 2008. The founding of Lyris was the culmination of years of collaboration between its members in many different ensembles in Los Angeles. The individual members of the quartet have won top prizes at such competitions as the Tchaikosvky International Competition and Aspen Music Festival as well as collaborated with renowned artists Natalia Gutman, David Geringas, Martha Argerich, Alban Gerhardt, Boris Pergamenschikov, Guillame Sutre, Myung-Whun Chung, and Richard Stoltzman.
They have collaborated with composers Steve Reich, Krystof Penderecki, Oliver Knussen, Steven Mackey, John Adams, Paquito D’Rivera, Wadada Leo Smith, Gerard Schurmann, and Billy Childs.
They have appeared throughout North America, Europe, and Asia in a diverse range of ensembles including Grammy nominated groups Ablsolute Ensemble and Southwest Chamber Music, and Orchestra Ensemble Kanazawa as well as solo and chamber appearances in various festivals such as Ravinia, Brahms Festival in Madrid, Music Academy of the West, Banff Centre for the Arts, Czech SommerFest, and Oregon Festival of American Music among others.
In Los Angeles, Lyris has performed at the Bing Theater at Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the Broad Stage, Zipper Hall at The Colburn School, Royce Hall, and Disney Hall. They opened the Long Beach Opera’s production of Janacek’s Cunning Little Vixen with a featured performance of the “Intimate Letters” quartet and performed the west coast premiere of David Lang’s “The Difficulty of Crossing a Field.” Other performances have included the South Bay Chamber Music Series, Los Angeles Music Guild, Annenberg Series, and Chamber Music Palisades. This year will mark their third season as the resident ensemble for the critically acclaimed series Jacaranda:Music at the Edge.
The Lyris Quartet also helps to curate the new music series “Hear Now” which helps to promote the music of Los Angeles composers. They have just completed their first album for Toccata Classics which will be released next year.
