St. David's is thrilled to welcome the acclaimed Argus Quartet as its 2016-2017 Ensemble-in-Residence. Dedicated to reinvigorating the audience-performer relationship through innovative concerts and diverse repertoire, the Argus Quartet prizes connecting with and building up a community of engaged listeners. They will perform on the First Friday Series on October 7, 2016 and May 5, 2017; learn more about the First Friday Series, and other concerts at St. David's, here.

 
Formed in the summer of 2013, Argus is receiving invitations from concert series throughout the United States and abroad. Recent performances include appearances at Carnegie Hall, Laguna Beach Live!, Encinitas’ Music By The Sea, the Hear Now Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, the Birdfoot Festival, and the Muziekgebouw aan ‘t IJ in Amsterdam.
 
Argus recently began an appointment as the Yale School of Music’s Fellowship Quartet in Residence and is the first ensemble to be mentored by the Brentano String Quartet in that capacity. Next season, Argus will appear at Carnegie Hall, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the Oneppo Chamber Series in programs with the Brentano Quartet and clarinetist David Shifrin.

The Argus Quartet believes that today’s ensembles must honor the storied chamber music traditions of our past while forging a new path forward. In that spirit, their repertoire includes not just staples of the chamber music canon, but also a large number of pieces by living composers. The quartet was recently awarded a commissioning grant from Chamber Music America for a new work by composer and GRAMMY nominee, Eric Guinivan.
 
Beyond its commitment to performing chamber music at the highest level, Argus aims to engage audiences in unique ways. Last fall marked the inaugural season of Argus in LA, a concert series that reimagines many aspects of the traditional concert experience.  These handcrafted presentations have something for everyone: eclectic programming, world premieres, and exciting guest artists.
 

Education and outreach are an important part of the Argus Quartet’s mission. In addition to their teaching responsibilities at Yale, the quartet has worked with students through residencies and masterclasses at James Madison University, Rockport Music, the Milken School, the Young Musicians Foundation, California State University Long Beach, and the Birdfoot Festival.