Characterized by its youth and soulful interpretations, the Ariel Quartet has quickly earned a glowing international reputation. In January 2012 the Quartet was named quartet-in-residence at the University of Cincinnati’s College-Conservatory of Music, a striking accomplishment for such a young ensemble and a testament to the Ariel’s skill and dedication to their craft.
Formed in Israel, the Quartet moved to the United States in 2004 to continue its professional studies. The resident ensemble in the New England Conservatory’s prestigious Professional String Quartet Training Program through their graduation in 2010, the Ariel has won a number of international prizes, including the Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Prize at the international competition “Franz Schubert and The Music Of Modernity” in Graz, Austria (2003). After they won the Székely Prize for their performance of Bartók, as well as the overall Third Prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2007, the American Record Guide described the Ariel Quartet as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and called their performance of Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 132 “the pinnacle of the competition.”
The Ariel Quartet has performed extensively in Israel, Europe, and North America, including such venues as the Louvre in Paris, Kaisersaal in Frankfurt (“a tour de force,” said Frankfurter Allgemeine), Jordan Hall in Boston, and the Washington Performing Arts Society, the Corcoran Gallery, and the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. The Ariel has remained committed to performing extensively in Israel, and returns home frequently to appear in concert.