Making music mentors
Photos courtesy of Calidore String Quartet July 25, 2024
Calidore String Quartet expands reach on UD campus
The four musicians — Jeremy Berry, Estelle Choi, Ryan Meehan and Jeffrey Myers — who make up the internationally acclaimed Calidore String Quartet have grown accustomed to fans approaching them to talk about their music, which The Los Angeles Times described as having the “kind of sublimity other quartets spend a lifetime searching.” More surprising, though, was recently receiving a loud “Go Fightin’ Blue Hens” shout-out from a fellow passenger in the Reykjavik airport.
Myers recounted this story with a chuckle one recent afternoon while the quartet was taking a quick break from a rehearsal. They were prepping for a performance at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Westchester County, New York, one of almost a dozen concerts they performed this summer in the U.S. or abroad.
On the day they received this shout-out, they had on University of Delaware gear, swag that Myers recalls University President Dennis Assanis giving them in 2017, when the quartet first became artists-in-residence at UD. Four years later, that relationship was strengthened when they joined the School of Music faculty. The 2024-2025 academic year marks a new milestone, as the ensemble assumes its new status as UD’s Distinguished String Quartet in Residence. In this role, the quartet will continue to represent the University on international and campus stages while increasing its teaching responsibilities.
The Calidore String Quartet performs 80-plus concerts a year in venues throughout North America, Europe and Asia, including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, Kennedy Center, London’s Wigmore Hall, Berlin’s Konzerthaus, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw and Seoul’s Kumho ArtsHall. The musicians have released critically acclaimed recordings, including an ambitious recording project capturing their journey through the entire Beethoven String Quartet cycle, and they have won numerous awards, including the $100,000 M-Prize from the University of Michigan’s School of Music, Theater & Dance.
“We got into what we do for a living because of our love of chamber music and the repertoire. We love playing with each other,” Myers said. “But over the 14 years that we’ve been together, we’ve also grown very passionate about our teaching — I would say equally so — as our performing.”
Three of the NYC-based quartet members have now moved closer to campus, and all said that they are looking forward to teaching more and greater campus and community engagement.
“Our goal over the next year is to elevate the existing chamber music program and resident ensemble program and to boost the profile of the School of Music,” Meehan said.
“I have had the great pleasure to attend many Calidore performances on campus,” said Debra Hess Norris, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. “Through their performances and teaching, these brilliant musicians will influence and inspire an even greater number of our students.”
The Calidores will expand their interaction with undergraduates, from more master classes to additional coachings to the general UD chamber music program, Meehan said. The quartet members will continue to be artistic directors of the University of Delaware Graduate String Quartet Fellowship Residency, a two-year, highly competitive program leading to a master’s degree in musical performance. The Trellis String Quartet members are currently working toward their degrees in this program.
“They possess the sought-after combo of being both incredible performers as well as deeply inspiring teachers,” said Trellis String Quartet member Zach Levin.
“I pretty much always come out of lessons with Ryan and Jeff with a ton of new information in my head and feeling like my violin techniques have taken a leap in progress,” Trellis member Dallas Noble said.
The Calidores have been globe-trotting this summer, from a performance at the Oslo Freedom Forum in Norway to a program of Beethoven and other works at the Bellingham Music Festival in Washington. Choi said that they are excited about their upcoming Beethoven Series, which kicks off Sept. 28 at Gore Recital Hall.
“This will be our big project,” Choi said. “We’ll be performing all 16 Beethoven string quartets over six concerts on the campus.”
It's no chore to go from, say, the Lincoln Center to Gore Recital Hall.
Performing in Gore is a joy, Berry said.
“It’s actually amazing,” he said. “I mean, we’ve played all around the world, and there are very few halls that have better acoustics.”
The Calidore String Quartet Distinguished Artist in Residence Fund was established in 2024 through a gift from Donald J. Puglisi '12H and Marichu C. Valencia '23H. Puglisi is a member of UD’s Board of Trustees, and they both serve on the President’s Leadership Council.
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