Icarus Quartet

The icarus Quartet emphasizes new music in its program, often collaborating with contemporary composers. The group's mission also has a strong educational component. The icarus Quartet, sometimes stylized as iQ, is based in Baltimore, Maryland. The group was formed at the Yale School of Music, with which all four of the members were associated; the quartet began as a graduate student project. After the players were praised by Yale composition department chairman Martin Bresnick, they decided to make the quartet an ongoing effort. The group's makeup is that of Bartók's Sonata for two pianos and percussion, with two pianists and a pair of percussionists, but it has not especially emphasized this work in its programming. The founding members were pianists Larry Weng and Yevgeny Yontov and percussionists Matt Keown and Jeff Stern; Christopher Goodpasture replaced Yontov in 2022. All of the icarus Quartet members have independent careers, but their identity as a quartet became more prominent as they won several prizes, including the American Prize for 2017-2018 (during which season the group also served as ensemble-in-residence at St. David's Church in Baltimore) and a win at the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition in 2019. The quartet has performed at the New Music Gathering in Ohio, the Queens New Music Festival in New York, and Maryland's Music in the Valley, among other festival venues. The quartet often works with contemporary composers, among them Liliya Ugay and Ruby Fulton, to create and perform new music. The icarus Quartet has given seminars on writing music for percussion ensembles at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, Bridgeport University, and Bowling Green State University, among other institutions. In 2022, the group held a residency at the Vienna Summer Music Festival and released its debut album, Big Things, on the Furious Artisans label.
© James Manheim /TiVo