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The Maia Quartet

Tricia Park, violin ~ Zoran Jakovcic, violin ~ Elizabeth Oakes, viola ~ Hannah Holman, cello

Since its formation in 1990, the Maia Quartet, Quartet-in-Residence at The University of Iowa, has established itself nationally as an ensemble of innovation and versatility. Praised by critics for its "sparkling musical intelligence," the quartet has appeared in major concert halls throughout the U.S. and abroad, including New York's Alice Tully Hall, Merkin Hall and the 92nd Street Y, Washington D.C.'s Kennedy Center, Beijing's Forbidden City Concert Hall and the Aspen Music Festival's Harris Hall. Collaborations with leading chamber musicians have included performances with Joel Krosnick, Andre-Michel Schub, and Cynthia Phelps. The Maia Quartet's commitment to the work of living composers has led to premieres of compositions by Pierre Jalbert, Dan Coleman, Vivian Fung and Ronn Yedidia.

Recognized for their innovative approach to programming, the Quartet has spearheaded numerous collaborative projects both at the University of Iowa and beyond. A recipient of a 2006-07 Chamber Music America Extended Residency Grant and several other grants, the Maia Quartet collaborated with the Danish Immigrant Museum of Elk Horn, Iowa to bring chamber music of Danish and other great Scandinavian composers to communities with strong Scandinavian roots. That same year they coordinated "Scandinavian-NordicFest" at the University of Iowa, a month long project during which the Quartet performed major Scandinavian and Nordic works and collaborated with the Departments of Dance, Art and Art History and Theatre Arts as well as numerous other disciplines. This past season, the Maia Quartet collaborated with the University of Iowa's Department of Music Therapy, University of Iowa's Holden Cancer Center and other University areas to present a series of events titled "Music, Healthcare and Well Being." These events focused on numerous health-related issues, such as Breast Cancer Awareness, Hearing Loss, Mental Health, Multiple Sclerosis and involved concerts, lectures and numerous outreach events.

Upcoming season highlights include a collaboration with Robert Kapilow in Kansas City, performances for the Westchester Chamber Music Society and the Zimmerli Art Museum and three all Brahms concerts at the Up-Beat Festival in Hokkaido, Japan. The Quartet will also be performing in February with violist Dan Avshalomov as well as singer Gudrun Buehler in April. This spring the Quartet plans to release a CD of string quartets by Grieg, Nielsen and Pierre Jalbert and this summer the Quartet returns to serve as faculty at Interlochen’s Advanced String Quartet Program.

Currently on the faculty at The University of Iowa, the Quartet previously served as faculty at the Peabody Conservatory of Music. The Quartet's summer teaching engagements have included residencies at the Great Wall International Music Academy in Beijing, China, Interlochen Arts Camp, the Austin Chamber Music Festival, and the Thurnauer Chamber Music Camp in Tenafly, New Jersey.

The Maia Quartet has gained considerable recognition for its dedication and expertise in the field of educational outreach. Widely sought after for their inspiring work with young people, they have brought their passion for music to children across the United States and abroad under the auspices of such organizations as the Starling Foundation, Young Audiences, Inc. and the Midori Foundation. Currently, the Quartet runs a Pre-College Chamber Music Program and performs regularly for families and young children in the Iowa City area.

In addition, the Quartet's commitment to reaching new adult audiences has led to collaborations with the Aspen Music Festival and with musicologist Robert Winter. They receive frequent invitations to develop short-term residencies that target a wide range of audiences, and their innovative work in this area has inspired return engagements with such organizations as Chamber Music Northwest, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Austin Chamber Music Center.

The Maia Quartet was formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music and subsequently received a fellowship to attend the Peabody Conservatory and work with Earl Carlyss. They were the recipients of the Arnhold String Quartet Fellowship at the Juilliard School, where they worked with the world-acclaimed Juilliard String Quartet and served as their teaching assistants. They have held summer fellowships at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and at the Aspen Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, where they worked with the American, Cleveland, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets.

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Last updated 3-oct-08