Orion String Quartet

The Orion String Quartet is a leading U.S. chamber ensemble noted for combining traditional and contemporary repertory and for a variety of collaborative work. The four members of the quartet are all prominent educators in the New York area. The Orion String Quartet was formed in 1987. Its members are brothers Todd and Daniel Phillips, who alternate as first and second violinists, violist Steven Tenenbom, and cellist Timothy Eddy; the group's membership has remained unchanged. The quartet's name came from that of the star constellation Orion, signifying that each of the members contributes something to a greater whole. For 27 years, the Orion String Quartet served as quartet-in-residence at New York's Mannes College of Music (part of the New School); there, the group performed a four-concert series annually as well as special events such as a six-concert series devoted to Beethoven's string quartets. The quartet also served as Artist Members of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. In 1997, the Orion String Quartet released its debut album, performing Brahms' String Quartet in A minor, Op. 51, No. 2, on an album that also featured the Budapest String Quartet. Its solo debut followed three years later on the Arabesque label with an album of works by Dvořák. In addition to performing at its home bases at Mannes and Lincoln Center, the Orion String Quartet has concertized widely in New York and beyond. The quartet's Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center concerts have also been presented at Hugh Hodgson Concert Hall in Athens, Georgia. The quartet has appeared in leading chamber music society series nationwide, including those of the Phoenix Chamber Music Society, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and the Linton Chamber Music in Cincinnati. The quartet's concerts often mix repertory standards and contemporary music, and it has commissioned innovative works from such contemporary composers as David Del Tredici, John Harbison, and Chick Corea. The Orion String Quartet has collaborated with many other top chamber music players, including cellist Pablo Casals, pianist Peter Serkin, and violinist Isaac Stern, and with jazz trumpeter Wynton Marsalis and the Bill T. Jones/Arnie Zane Dance Company. The group recorded a series of albums for Koch International, and it has additionally recorded for Albany, Bridge, and eOne, the latter in 2016 on an album of works by Del Tredici. The 2022-2023 season saw the Orion String Quartet perform Beethoven's String Quartet No. 16 in F major, Op. 135, in a winter concert for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, where it has continued to appear periodically.
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