Borealis String Quartet

Patricia Shih, violin
Yuel Yawney, violin
Nikita Pogrebnoy, viola
Shih-Lin Chen, cello

At the vanguard among exciting quartets of their generation, the Borealis String Quartet has created a sensation with its dynamic performances, passionate style, and refined musical interpretations. With a sound called “radiant” by Strad, the Borealis String Quartet has performed to critical acclaim and sold-out concert halls throughout North America. The Quartet is sponsored by the influential Chimei Culture Foundation of Taiwan, allowing them the use of four historic instruments and offering the opportunity for the Quartet to teach and perform extensively throughout Taiwan each year.

Formed in the fall of 2000, the Borealis String Quartet established a stellar reputation so quickly that its concerts became instant sell-outs. The Borealis made its New York City debut for Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music in 2003, and in 2004-2005, the Quartet returned to New York to perform for Schneider Concerts and made its first appearance for Music Toronto. Subsequent seasons have seen the Quartet performing on prestigious series throughout North America, including performances in the 2008-2009 season at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Seattle Symphony’s Benaroya Hall, and at the National Academy of Sciences in Washington, D.C., and in the 2009-2010 season at New York’s People’s Symphony Concerts and for Portland Friends of Chamber Music. The 2010-2011 season featured a performance for SUNY at Buffalo’s Slee Beethoven Cycle as well as a repeat appearance at Music Toronto.

A longtime favorite at Canadian festivals, the Quartet’s summer venues have included the Vancouver Chamber Music Festival, the Festival of the Sound in Ontario, the Indian River Festival on Prince Edward Island, and the Baies des Chaleurs Festival in New Brunswick.  The Borealis made its first U.S. festival appearance at the Mendocino Music Festival in California, and in the summer of 2009 undertook a ten-day residency at Mexico’s Festival de Música de Cámara de Aguascalientes.

Devoted to performing other chamber music repertoire, the Borealis has collaborated with many different artists, including clarinetist James Campbell, pianist Luba Dubinsky, and cellist Sadao Harada. Additionally, the Quartet has worked and collaborated with members of the Borodin, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets. The Borealis has also dedicated itself to the promotion of new works, including those by Murray Schafer and Steven Chatman, and have commissioned works from Imant Raminsh, Kelly-Marie Murphy, and John Oliver. The Borealis String Quartet’s critically acclaimed CD –  Classic Borealis (Skylark Records) – was nominated for a Western Canadian Music Award. Additionally, the Quartet will be producing a number of recordings for the Chimei Foundation over the next three years.

The Borealis String Quartet acknowledges the support of the Province of British Columbia through the British Columbia Arts Council.

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