Brooklyn Rider
The adventurous, genre-defying string quartet Brooklyn Rider combines wildly eclectic
repertoire with a gripping performance style that is attracting legions of fans and drawing
critical acclaim from classical, world music, and rock critics. The quartet plays in
settings as varied as Joe's Pub and Alice Tully Hall in New York City; Todaiji Temple in
Japan; the Library of Congress in Washington, DC; San Francisco Jazz; and Austin's South By
Southwest festival. The ensemble has appeared with songstresses Suzanne Vega and Christina
Courtin, downtown jazz queen Jenny Scheinman, and legendary Irish fiddler Martin Hayes. The
members of Brooklyn Rider are classically trained musicians who illuminate the music of
Haydn, Debussy, and 300 years of string quartet repertoire. Veterans of Yo-Yo Ma's Silk
Road Ensemble, they also draw inspiration from the exploding array of cultures and artistic
energy found in their home borough of Brooklyn.
During the 2011-2012 season, Brooklyn Rider embarks on two US tours and its first trip to
China, with concerts in Beijing and Hong Kong. In recent seasons, Brooklyn Rider has
appeared at Lincoln Center as part of the inaugural Tully Scope festival, the Kölner
Philharmonie, the American Academy in Rome, Malmö Festival in Sweden, Spoleto Festival USA,
the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia, and the US Open Tennis Championship. Its new album,
Brooklyn Rider Plays Philip Glass, is one of NPR Classical's Best Albums of the
Year (So Far). The group's previous albums, Dominant Curve and Passport,
also are favorites of both classical and indie music critics.