CLASSICAL SERENADES: BALOURDET QUARTET

Classical Serenades: Featuring premier world-class classical chamber music, the Classical Serenades series invites you to relax and enjoy an afternoon of beloved masterpieces, hidden gems, and inspiring works performed by acclaimed musicians.

BALOURDET QUARTET

Angela Bae, Violin //  Justin DeFilippis, Violin // Benjamin Zannoni, Viola // Russell Houston, Cello

Acclaimed for its vibrant energy and emotional depth, the Balourdet Quartet creates “a world where memory and transformation coexist” (Seen and Heard International). Described as “an ensemble unafraid to show its personality” (The Strad), the Quartet was awarded the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. In 2026 the Balourdet Quartet was named the inaugural fellow of the Resonance String Quartet Fellowship.

Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Museum, Boston’s Celebrity Series, the Rockport Music Festival, and La Jolla Music Society. The Balourdet collaborates with leading artists of our time including Yo-Yo Ma, Marc-André Hamelin, James Ehnes, Misha Dichter, Simone Dinnerstein, Zuill Bailey, and the Dover, Pacifica, and Ying Quartets. 

Deeply committed to community engagement, the Quartet creates programs that “inspire their creativity” (Seattle Times)—a core part of its mission—through ongoing residencies with the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Their “infectious spirit” (Chicago Classical Review) resonates with audiences in diverse settings, from breweries to schools. 

The Balourdet is also making a “positive impact” (Seattle Times) through its work with Seattle’s Memory Hub, co-designing music-based programming for people living with memory loss. In collaboration with the University of Washington, the Ensemble is conducting research aimed at developing a practical blueprint for arts and health initiatives worldwide. 

Collaboration lies at the heart of the Quartet’s work, and its members regularly lead workshops on teamwork and leadership for entrepreneurs, and work with conservatory students and amateur musicians nationwide in activities ranging from masterclasses to interdisciplinary programs where music intersects with topics ranging from art history to business and the sciences. 

The Quartet was formed in 2018 at the Taos School of Music, where its members bonded around Chef Antoine Balourdet’s table, inspired by his joie de vivre. They later named the ensemble in tribute to him, honoring the generosity and spirit of friendship he brought to their early days. After forming at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, within just a few years the Balourdet held prestigious graduate residency positions at the New England Conservatory and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where the ensemble earned top prizes at the Banff, Borciani, and Nielsen International String Quartet Competitions, won the Gold Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, received the Chamber Music Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs, and was honored with Stanford University’s John Lad Prize. In 2021, it received the Grand Prize at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition, which included joint management by Concert Artists Guild in the United States and Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in the United Kingdom and Europe.