DOVER QUARTET

Joel Link, violin | Bryan Lee, violin | Julianne Lee, viola | Camden Shaw, cello

Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the GRAMMY nominated Dover Quartet has followed a “practically meteoric” (Strings) trajectory to become one of the most in-demand chamber ensembles in the world. In addition to its faculty role as Ensemble-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Dover Quartet holds residencies with the Kennedy Center, the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Artosphere, and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival. The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its prestigious honors include the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dover Quartet presented more than 25 virtual concerts, recorded and produced at the Curtis Institute of Music. The virtual concerts were presented to audiences across the globe, including the quartet’s first-ever tour to Latin America (conducted virtually).

Cedille Records released the third and final volume of the quartet’s recording of the Beethoven Complete String Quartets in 2022. Strad described the highly acclaimed recordings as “meticulously balanced, technically clean-as-a-whistle and intonationally immaculate.” In addition to the quartet’s GRAMMY nominated recording of The Schumann Quartets, which was released by Azica Records in 2019, the Quartet has released numerous recordings.

The Dover Quartet draws from the lineage of the distinguished Guarneri, Cleveland and Vermeer quartets. Its members studied at the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. It was at Curtis that the Dover Quartet formed, and its name pays tribute to Dover Beach by fellow Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber.

The Dover Quartet is the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble-in-Residence at Curtis. Their faculty residency integrates teaching and mentorship, a robust international performance career, and a cutting-edge digital presence. Working closely with students in the Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program, the resident ensemble will recruit the most promising young string quartets and foster their development in order to nurture a new generation of leading professional chamber ensembles. 

The Dover Quartet plays on the following instruments and proudly endorses Thomastik-Infeld strings.

Joel Link plays a very fine Peter Guarneri of Mantua, 1710-15, kindly loaned to him by Irene R. Miller through the Beare’s International Violin Society.
Bryan Lee: Riccardo Antoniazzi, Milan 1904; Samuel Zygmuntowicz, Brooklyn, 2020
Camden Shaw: Frank Ravatin, France, 2010