Award Recipient
Omer Quartet
Distinctive among today’s young string quartets, the Omer Quartet won First Prize in the 2017 Young Concert Artists International Auditions, and it makes debuts during the 2018-2019 season in New York at Merkin Concert Hall and in Washington, D.C. at the Kennedy Center. The quartet came into prominence in 2013 when it received Grand Prize and gold medal at the Fischoff National Competition. It has also received Top Prize at the 2017 Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy, Second Prize at the 2017 Trondheim International Competition in Norway, and Special Prize at the 2016 Bordeaux Competition in France.
ANTHONY TOMMASINI
NEW YORK TIMES
“Last year was a big one for the Omer Quartet. The group took second prize in the Trondheim Competition in Norway and first prize in the auditions held by Young Concert Artists, which presented the Omer in its New York debut at Merkin Concert Hall this week. These four musicians, who came together at the Cleveland Institute of Music, certainly rose to the occasion.”
CLASSICAL VOICE
NORTH CAROLINA
“The Omer’s approach to Haydn is as fine as any ensemble. In Debussy, the recreation of the composer’s kaleidoscopic range of instrumental color and timbre was excellent, and the Quartet’s expressive choices were convincing. The ensemble brought plenty of drama to Chris Rogerson’s work, and an individual and very satisfying interpretation of the Beethoven Grosse Fugue.”
SANDIEGO TRIBUNE
“The Omer Quartet played as if the ink were still wet on the page. It made it seem as if Haydn was not some bust on the piano, but a living, breathing composer. This was an invigorating interpretation, played with a sense of discovery and adventure, but also with considerable finesse.”