the Chiara String Quartet

“The group came together admirably to render this surging expressionistic music with the character and force it demands.”

— Jeremy Eichler, Boston Globe

“A highly skilled string quartet playing for 30 hardly rich patrons in a Williamsburg nightclub may not be the most alluring of business plans, but I hope the Chiara can keep it up.”

— BERNARD HOLLAND, New York Times

“A number of performers are breaking out of the established chambers, the institutions that have defined them. The Chiara String Quartet is one of several groups playing gigs in bars.

Competitions were forcing us to learn repertory that wasnt that interesting, said Greg Beaver, the quartets cellist. We sat down and said, Who do we want to play for?  The answer led the players to engage a second manager specifically to line up club dates in addition to the groups regular concert gigs. (The Chiara will play Thursday at Caffe Vivaldi in Greenwich Village and Friday at Rose in Brooklyn.)”

— ANNE MIDGETTE, NY TIMES

“The Chiara's show at the Rose accomplished what so many similar programs fail to do: prove that there is a vast selection of worthy music available from so many varied sources.  The quartet demonstrated that simply looking outside the accepted boundaries of the canon is not enough: you also have to play it all well.”

— Daniel Felsenfeld, Strings Magazine

“The Chiara Quartet continued its presentation of Beethoven string quartets Tuesday evening for the "Tuesday Nights at Sheldon" Hixson-Lied Concert Series ...”

— By John Cutler / For the Lincoln Journal Star, Lincoln Journal Star

“Listen to the Chiara in a recent interview with WCQS, Western North Carolina Public Radio, with performances of "Prayer," from Robert Sirota's "Triptych," and the Haydn Quartet's "Opus 74 Number 1."”

— Western North Carolina Public Radio

“The evening's highlight was the massive hurtling fugue that closed the second work, Op. 59. No. 3. This is perhaps the most adrenaline-laced six minutes of music in the entire string quartet literature, and the Chiara upped the stakes by choosing a very brisk tempo.”

— Jeremy Eichler, The Boston Globe

“The Chiara Quartet stayed confident as it moved into the concluding presto. It went by faster than an Amtrak running late on the Nebraska Plains. Perfect fingering, bowing and unity guaranteed precision of this machine as it moved along at breakneck speed.”

— John Cutler, Journal Star

“The Chiara Quartet, most noted for taking classical music to bars and clubs and championing new music, has taken on another challenge: Beethoven's 16 string quartets.”

“The Chiara String Quartet is launching its first survey of the Beethoven cycle Sunday at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln Kimball Recital Hall. The recital is the first of three Beethoven concerts that the quartet will perform in Lincoln during the 2009-10 season, said violist Jonah Sirota.”

— John Pitcher, Omaha World Herald

“The Chiara String Quartet may have performed in some of America's most prestigious venues, but their attitude towards classical music is anything but elitist. As well as Carnegie Hall, the group has appeared in less traditional spaces such as pubs, clubs, and sandwich bars.”

— Daniel K. Lakhdhir, The Harvard Crimson

“Chiara Quartet Harvard's resident string quartet launches a cycle of Beethoven Quartets with this program devoted to three major works: Op. 18, No. 4; Op. 59, No. 1; and Op. 135.”

— JEREMY EICHLER, Boston Globe

“I'm interested in the Chiara Quartet, which is a conventional string quartet which has made a point of playing bars whenever it goes on tour. They have very interesting things to say about that experience, which is not necessarily geared toward a bar audience.”

— Tom Huizenga, NPR

“After five years of commissioning, violist Nadia Sirota, who earned a bachelor's and a master's degree from Juilliard, has conceived a program of composers whom she describes as her "best collaborators," on a veritable 21st-century Juilliard love fest called First Things First.”

— Bruce Hodges, The Juilliard Journal

“The Chiara Quartet, for its part, brings its music— both contemporary and classical—into clubs that are normally pop territory, to audiences that may never have attended a formal chamber music concert.”

— AmericanEnsemble

“Rebecca Fischer, Julie Yoon, Jonah Sirota, and Gregory Beaver comprise the Chiara Quartet, whose playing has been described by the New York Times as "luminous," and "searing," and by the Washington Post as "truly breathtaking."  Harvard students and faculty alike rejoice in having such a progressive and distinguished, young quartet-in-residence.
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— Victoria Aschheim, Harvard Arts Beat

“Even before she formed the Chiara String Quartet, violinist Rebecca Fischer was no stranger to the life on the road as a performing musician.”

— TARA DOOLEY, Houston Chronicle

“That said, the Chiara certainly played this quartet as if they believed that the C-minor drama here led directly to Fate knocking at the door in Beethoven's same-key Fifth, emphasizing the first movement's sharp turns from minor to major and back again with such gusto I thought I was going to get whiplash (and with plenty o' foot-stomping too).”

— Andrew Malone, DMV Classical

“That said, the Chiara -- which will also be performing a program in the Mansion at Strathmore on Friday evening -- was exemplary in all three pieces.”

— Joe Banno, The Washington Post

“The young Chiara Quartet (which plays at the National Gallery on Wednesday and at Strathmore on Friday) has for two years been working on an initiative called "Chamber music in any chamber," lining up bar and club dates in addition to its regular concert work.”

— Anne Midgette, The Washington Post

“The Chiara Quartet will play two concerts in the area this week...”

— Charles Downey, DCist

“In Washington and wherever we perform, we want people to come out with an open mind," Sirota says. "We're friendly and we care about providing a concert that's not watered down. Our music is fun, challenging and engaging.”

— Emily Cary, Washington Examiner

“On her popular WNYC midnight radio show, Overnight Music, Sirota champions young composers, so it's not surprising that she's commissioned works from three of her peers for her excellent debut, First Things First.”

— Mia Clarke, Time Out Chicago

“[Jonah] Sirota said the personal nature of the show removed the common barriers between concert-goers and classical musicians.

"Fans can get up close and feel engaged," Sirota said. "It's almost like they're part of the performance."”

— Adam Templeton, The Daily Nebraskan

“The award-winning group is making its mark in the classical music scene by playing outside of it. The quartet has received the most press in the past two years for its concerts in clubs, bars, and coffeehouses. Through these offbeat performances, the musicians hope to reinvent the classical music venue.”

— Claire Lekwa, The Daily Iowan

“Chiara is an Italian word meaning "clear, pure, or light" and it is an apt description of this quartet's musical footprint.”

— Jeffrey Rossman, Classical Voice Of North Carolina

“With an armful of prestigious prizes, residencies and collaborations with established musicians to inflate their pedigree, the Chiara Quartet is a group dedicated to breaking down barriers between performer and audience.”

— Jeffrey Rossman, Classical Voice Of North Carolina

“For those who say classical music is dying, September Prelude counters with the poster child for a younger generation of musicians.

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— Phillip Crook, The Daily Tar Heel

“The Nebraska-based quartet seeks to deliver chamber music to younger listeners by thinking outside the box of traditional concert halls, and playing classical music inside bars and clubs.
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— Joe Scott, Go Triad

“So the youthful, award-winning quartet packed their instruments and went on the road, bringing the classics — as well as new music — to nontraditional chamber music venues and audiences who have perhaps never heard a string quartet.
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— Sabine Kortals, Denver Post

“This ain't your grandaddy's classical music.”

— Kurt Brighton, Fort Collins Now

“But in a club the quartet can mix Bartók and Beethoven without a collective gasp from the audience, they can talk to people about the music during breaks, they can wear jeans.”

— Stacy Nick, Coloradoan

“The Chiara String Quartet is composed of young American musicians who are vastly talented, vastly resourceful and vastly committed to music of their time. As such its Seattle debut Tuesday night on the UW World Series at Meany Hall was riveting.”

— R.M. CAMPBELL, Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“The best was to come: Gabriela Lena Frank's "Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout," a sensational piece written for the Chiara that uses every imaginable string technique. The Brick was a perfect venue for this raucous ride through the Latin American countryside with its wildly colored evocation of flutes, message runners, funeral mourners, cowboys and festivals.”

— Paul Horsley, Kansas City Star

“the Chiara String Quartet is the new Black Flag, which makes violinist Julie Yoon the new Henry Rollins.”

— Chris Packham, The Pitch

“We want to reach some audiences that have not yet been reached  people who are our age and maybe have never heard chamber music before because they havent had the opportunity or are put off by the formality of traditional concert halls, violist Jonah Sirota explained.


Harvard looks forward to welcoming the Chiara Quartet in 2008, said Ingrid Monson, chair of the Department of Music. We are impressed by the ensembles efforts to expand the audience for chamber music by finding new ways to engage listeners, and feel their commitment aligns well with Harvards goal of bringing innovative musicians to campus who will connect with the entire Harvard community.”

— Lesley Bannatyne, Harvard University Gazette

“The future of chamber music is certainly to play in more flexible venues and reach out to the audience more. The tradition of putting an artist up on a pedestal, literally and figuratively, doesnt feel comfortable or interesting to us.”

— MUSO

“"Going to a show is kind of like hearing an iPod shuffle," Sirota said.”

— Ashley Hassebroek, Omaha World Herald

“Indeed while their sexy reading of Frank's "An Andalusian Walkabout" glimmered, shook, and dolefully sang as needed, it was the biting Bartk and languorous, soulful Brahms that stole the show.”

— Daniel Felsenfeld, Strings Magazine

“The expressive playing is also quite unusual. In the Canto del Velorio movement of this quartet, for example, the string splay the part of professional crying women call Horonas who sing for funerals, and Frank calls for them to play in a highly distorted manner.”

— American Record Guide

“Apparently, it had the same effect on people outside the club, who stopped and stared through the glass as if they couldnt quite believe what they heard: unmistakably classical, unamplified, high-caliber playingin a club. Some passers-by actually came in and tried to find an empty seat, which wasnt easy.”

— Michael Clive, The Villager

“The quartets members say theyve been surprised by the positive response to this brave new music. People not only show up..., but they also listen so closely the group often doesnt even need amplification.”

— Paul Horsley, The Kansas City Star

“Its a big deal for a small town. Since going professional seven years ago, Chiara (pronounced kee-ARE-uh and meaning clarity or light) has played some of the top concert venues both nationally and internationally, including the Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall and the American Academy in Rome.”

— By Scott Rochat, Emporia Gazette

“As high-concept programs go, it would be hard to beat the one the Chiara String Quartet brought to Merkin Concert Hall”

— New York Times

“"So we decided it would be a great opportunity to perform in smaller venues, where we're not up on the pedestal, so to speak, at a classical recital hall. And we won't have to worry if the audience hasn't been 'trained' in what to wear or when to clap, something that is unknown to club audiences."”

— The Brooklyn Paper

“It was an attempt to connect with audiences our own age, who dont necessarily have training in classical music and wouldnt come to a traditional concert, but who we knew would connect with the music,”

— Time Out New York / January 410, 2006

“For their upcoming Brooklyn performance, according to Sirota, they expect to play songs from, as well as some more traditional classical string pieces adapted to fit the ensembles unique style. Yet the highlight for Chiaras club audiences may well be their performance of a Prince song, adapted for strings.”

— Nadia Taha, Courier Life

“Even if youre familiar with classical music, theres a good chance you havent heard some of the music that were playing, and its great stuff, Beaver said. Im bemused as to why this isnt some of the most popular music out there.”

— JOEL GEHRINGER, Journal Star

“The Zhou Long piece ("Song of the Ch'in") was a study in limpid, perfumed Asian textures, played with sympathy and a sense of fun.”

— Robert Battey, The Washington Post

“Jonah Sirota, 30, was named third prizewinner and awarded $2,500. Sirota, a founding member of the Chiara String Quartet, is currently artist-in-residence at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He received his bachelor of music degree from Rice University and his master's from Juilliard.”

— Vivien Schweitzer, Playbill Arts

“The aptly-named Chiara String Quartet, currently in residence at the UN-L School of Music, has released a clear-eyed CD of the Brahms and Mozart clarinet quintets”

— William Stibor, National Public Radio

“We decided we wanted to put together some kind of festival in Lincoln and we wanted to focus on Brahms," Fischer said. "He is such an extraordinary composer. Hopefully, people will enjoy listening to a lot of his music.”

— By JEFF KORBELIK, Journal Star

“Meanwhile, high art steps to the front on Robert Sirota's powerful 2001 work Triptych (New Voices Singles, 001), written to commemorate the victims of the 9/11 attacks.”

— GREG CAHILL, Strings

“The string quartet represents the individual and the orchestra is the world, he said. Sometimes the world obscures revelations and sometimes it helps us to see these revelations.”

— By JEFF KORBELIK, Journal Star

“"This is going to be a really interesting concert for us because we're playing as a string quartet but also as concerto soloists, which is a relatively unusual thing to do, and it's a lot of fun when we're able to do it," Sirota said.”

— Gary Panetta, Journal Star

“The award-winning young foursome presents the world premiere of Rome Prize winner Jefferson Friedman's String Quartet No. 3,”

— TIME OUT NEW YORK

“The Chiara played with the cohesiveness of a whole far greater than the sum of its parts. Violinists Rebecca Fischer and Julie Hye Yung Yoon, violist Jonah Sirota, and cellist Gregory Beaver moved, phrased, breathed, and thought together in flawless ensemble.”

— Clifton J. Noble, Jr, Springfield Republican

“The eventful three-movement piece is played without break, but the Chiara String Quartet never, figuratively speaking, broke a sweat. You don't realize how accustomed you are to hearing symptoms of labor in a string quartet until they're not there. And with the Chiara quartet, they are not. It was almost eerie.”

— David Patrick Stearns, Philadelphia Inquirer

“On Sunday afternoon, in a presentation by Community Concerts at Second Presbyterian Church, the Chiara String Quartet performed Triptych with Patterson's painting on display just over the first violinist's shoulder.”

— Tim Smith, Baltimore Sun

“In Haydn's 'Fifths' Quartet the foursome demonstrated concentration that produced extremely pleasing ensemble and unanimity of tone production.”

— Andrew Farach-Colton, Strad