Tesla Quartet

The Tesla Quartet was formed at The Juilliard School in 2008 by Ross Snyder, Xian Meng, Megan Mason, and Kimberly Patterson, and it has been quickly making a name for itself. The ensemble currently holds a fellowship as the Graduate String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where they study with the world-renowned Takács Quartet. In March of 2009, the quartet won Second Prize at the Arriaga Chamber Music Competition.

The quartet has enjoyed a busy performing schedule, with concerts throughout New York City, most notably its recital debut at the newly-renovated Alice Tully Hall on April 8, 2009. At Juilliard, the quartet performed on the final concert of the ChamberFest series, and, in collaboration with pianist Liza Stepanova, presented the New York premier of Gabriela Lena Frank's quintet, "Tres Homenajes: Compadrazgo," for the annual FOCUS! Festival concert series. Upcoming concerts in the 2009-10 season include a series of performances at Grace Lutheran Church, Boulder, and appearances at the Treetops Chamber Music Society in Connecticut and Workshop for Musical Performance in New York City.

Community involvement and outreach are integral parts of the Tesla Quartet’s mission. The ensemble currently serves as string mentors to the Boulder Youth Symphony, and the 2009-10 season includes community and public school residencies in Aspen and Vail, Colorado. The quartet also completed a week-long performing residency in Mountain Lake, Florida in March, 2009.

In addition to their work with the Takács Quartet, the Tesla Quartet has been coached by Curtis Macomber, Robert Mann, Michael Tree, and members of the Kronos, Chiara, and Avalon String Quartets. Recently the quartet participated in an innovative workshop with laptop performance technology in collaboration with the Boulder Laptop Orchestra. It was also the central ensemble in a unique series of master classes on classical improvisation, presented by David Dolan of London's Guildhall School.