By Greg Cahill | From the March/April 2026 issue of Strings

There is a lively, joyful quality to the Isidore String Quartet’s website—sections delineated in unexpected angles, a photo with each member perplexedly contemplating an instrument that is not his own, a video introducing the ensemble—perhaps reflecting its connection to the veteran Juilliard Quartet’s approach to chamber music and its impact on the world. “Part of the Juilliard Quartet’s influence on our mission is their motto of treating the old like it’s new and the new like it’s old,” explains 24-year-old Isidore violinist Adrian Steele. “That ability to contextualize the repertoire and maintain its freshness is core to our mission as a group. One way to accomplish that is by treating the music as a playground—by shedding preconceptions or rigidity in interpretation. To quote [Italian film composer] Giorgio Moroder: ‘Once you free your mind about a concept of harmony and of music being “correct,” you can do whatever you want.’”

Each member—violinists Steele and Phoenix Avalon; violist Devin Moore; and cellist Joshua McClendon—is Juilliard educated with a host of impressive fellowships and graduate studies under their collective belt. In fact, Juilliard has been central to the quartet’s very existence. “The ensemble was formed at the Juilliard School in 2019,” Steele says. “Three of us—myself, Josh, and Phoenix—were in the same class, while Devin was a year older and had recently transferred from the Manhattan School of Music. We had met one another at various summer festivals before arriving in New York and decided to read some quartets in a dance studio at Juilliard in 2018. The following year, we enrolled as a group in the school’s chamber music program, working with Astrid Schween on Mozart’s String Quartet in F major, K. 590. The reading culture at the school was a large part of our founding, with after-hours sessions in school studios and students’ apartments being a common activity.”

Since its founding, the Isidore String Quartet has won first prize and the Haydn prize at the 2022 Banff International String Quartet Competition and was honored with the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant [see sidebar, “The Road to Success”].

As for the ensemble’s name, that’s a complicated matter that has roots in scholarship and, at least in part, late-night college libations and camaraderie. “We chose a name that has two distinct pathways—one honoring the continuum that the quartet exists within, and one honoring the spontaneity of our founding,” Steele explains. “The first links us to the influence of the Juilliard Quartet on our education and the quartet world at large through one of its earliest members, the legendary Isidore Cohen—later also a member of the famed Beaux Arts Trio. We have worked with so many incredible current and former members of the Juilliard Quartet—the late Joel Krosnick and Roger Tapping, as well as Ronald Copes, Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Molly Carr, and Samuel Rhodes—that it felt necessary to honor the tradition in which we were taught. This tradition goes beyond mere interpretation and provides a foundational belief in the vitality and longevity of the string quartet as a medium. 

“The second link is a reference to the [15th-century] monk Isidore, a Greek monk imprisoned in Russia who is mythically believed to have brought the first recipe for vodka to the Russian czar some hundreds of years ago. We bonded as students and musicians at reading parties, which were sometimes aided by Isidore’s creation. We felt it was important to celebrate the playfulness of these events and the joy that chamber music can bring to a community, whether in someone’s living room or on the concert stage.”

Having put in the work, these 20-somethings are drawing considerable recognition for their artistry. Violinist.com has praised them for “a focus and command beyond their years” as well as “their sweeping coherence and blazing virtuosity,” while Chicago Classical Review has lauded their “exquisite poise and balance.” That’s where the aforementioned playground reference comes into play: “Joy is central to our mission,” Steele says. “In such an innately intimate setting, the community we build through our music should reflect the relationships we build within the quartet. The spark of live music comes from the looks and gestures we share during a performance, and that energy translates to our communication with the audience as a sort of ‘fifth member’ of the quartet.”

In March, the Isidore String Quartet brings that spark to the recording medium when the ensemble releases its debut album, Adorations, on the Delos label. The album was recorded at the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Alberta, Canada, and produced by Theresa Leonard and Ben Ewing. The tracks include Joseph Haydn’s String Quartet in C major, Op. 20, No. 2; Samuel Barber’s Molto Adagio (from String Quartet, Op. 11); Felix Mendelssohn’s String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 44, No. 3; and Florence Price’s Adoration (arranged for string quartet by Samuel Araya). 

“Our primary goal going into this first recording was simply to stay true to ourselves,” says McClendon, who began his cello studies at the age of eight under the tutelage of cellist Paul Wingert. “We are a group that thrives in live performance, and we absolutely live for those special moments that cannot be re-created. We wanted to preserve that sense of intimacy, communication, and play while making this project. Thanks to the Banff Centre, we had the best team imaginable, who made our lives as easy as possible throughout the entire process. For me, the greatest challenge was keeping the sense of live performance alive. It’s easy to become bogged down and hyper-fixated on perfection when you hear yourself dozens of times, so it’s important to overcome that impulse and continue making music as freely as possible.”

Each work on the album reflects a unique form of adoration, of deep love and respect, offering its own expression of wonder, reverence, and the profound beauty of shared musical experience, says Moore, a Santa Fe, New Mexico, native who began his violin studies at age three with Rick Lohmann and Cármelode los Santos. “Haydn’s Op. 20, No. 2, sparkles with wit, warmth, and crystalline imagination, reshaping the very architecture of the string quartet and pointing boldly toward the future,” he says. “Barber’s Adagio rises like a single breath held in time, its long, suspended phrases glowing with tender ache and offering a catharsis that is both cleansing and profoundly human. Mendelssohn’s Op. 44, No. 3, shimmers with youthful brilliance, composed shortly after his marriage—a time of personal joy and emotional fulfillment that infused his music with warmth, elegance, and expressive confidence. Florence Price’s Adoration is a brief, yet luminous prayer, unfolding in warm, graceful lines that breathe with quiet devotion and gentle, uplifting serenity.”

The album is, in effect, a love letter to the chamber music tradition. “Each work on this album represents a pivotal moment in the quartet’s journey so far,” Moore says, “whether it was formative advice from a mentor, a piece we’ve performed countless times, or a musical phrase that transports us back to a specific city or concert hall. This album offers a glimpse into the DNA of the quartet. Adorations is a celebration of chamber music at its essence—a tapestry of joy, human connection, and the enduring resonance of lives intertwined. We felt immense joy putting this album together and can’t wait for listeners to experience that same joy.”

The title track might be unfamiliar to some, but it is a historic work by a groundbreaking American and often-overlooked composer. Florence Price (1887–1953) was the first African American woman to have a composition performed by a major US orchestra. “Price’s Adoration speaks through a quiet, prayer-like intimacy rooted in grace and devotion,” says McClendon, adding that it creates a dialogue that spans musical generations. “Most importantly, every member of the quartet immediately connected with this piece—its rich harmonies, intimate orchestration, and beautiful simplicity. Alongside the opportunity to highlight a prolific woman of color, the piece encapsulates the sentiments of the entire album and ultimately gave it its name.”

In a display of deep respect, Adorations is dedicated to the late cellist and beloved chamber music coach Joel Krosnick, a former member of the Juilliard Quartet who died last year at the age of 84. “Joel taught us to be fearless,” Moore says. “His unwavering belief in the Isidore String Quartet gave us the courage to remain true to ourselves and to be bold in our music making. He lived a life devoted to self-discovery through art and embodied what it means to be an artist, mentor, and friend. His contagious energy continues to inspire us to see music through a lens of joy and humility, and we are all better musicians—and better people—for having known him.”

Indeed, Adoration is a representation of the Isidore’s artistic spirit, Moore adds, as well as a reflection of the personal dynamics within the ensemble. “Having a diverse breadth of repertoire has always been a priority for the group. The idea of approaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established, was instilled in us by our mentors from the Juilliard String Quartet, past and present. We embrace the responsibility to explore today’s music with the same verve, respect, enthusiasm, and—most importantly—curiosity that it deserves. From the very beginning, each member of the Isidore has been encouraged to foster a strong sense of individuality. The uplifting of the individual is what makes the collective work. All four of us come from vastly different backgrounds, and it is only when each person can fully express themselves that we can create something greater together.”

Concludes Avalon: “At our core, we’re four friends who love sharing music and connecting with each other and our communities. We aim to inspire joy and curiosity through our music and to reach as many people as possible. We want our performances to reflect the world we live in—with its struggles and challenges—while also offering a space for pause, honesty, and genuine connection. And we want to have fun.”

Winning first prize and the Haydn Prize at the prestigious 14th annual Banff International String Quartet Competition, in which top chamber ensembles vied for $500,000 in cash, prizes, and career-development opportunities, proved a crucial step in the Isidore’s ascent. “As part of the Banff Prize, we served as the resident ensemble at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas,” Avalon says. “There, we worked closely with students through private lessons, chamber-music coachings, master classes, presentations, and side-by-side concerts. It was a truly rewarding experience that allowed us to begin developing our own teaching philosophies while also learning from the students themselves. Throughout the concert season, we now aim to teach as many master classes as possible while on the road, and we are very interested in pursuing another long-term residency when the opportunity arises.”

Adds McClendon: “Preparing for the competition was incredibly intense, yet deeply rewarding and inspiring. We were quite young as an ensemble, and the repertoire performed at the competition consisted of the only pieces we had ever played together up to that point. Much of our preparation involved experimenting with sound and ideas—figuring out how we wanted to approach different styles of music, from Haydn and Beethoven to Bartók. The win changed everything for us. Before Banff, we had only performed publicly together a handful of times—maybe five or so concerts. Going from two school-related performances per year to a full-time touring career has been truly amazing.”

He offers this tip for young chamber musicians considering the competition route: “My biggest piece of advice is to treat each round like any other performance and try not to focus too much on the competitive aspect. That’s easier said than done, but competitions can often encourage perfectionism to take over. Keeping artistry at the forefront is what matters most.”

Ultimately, the Banff Prize opened the door for the 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, a $25,000 award that is designed to give professional assistance to young musicians with the potential for a solo career. “Receiving an Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2023 was one of the greatest honors we’ve received as a quartet,” Avalon says. “The generosity of the grant, along with becoming part of such an inspiring legacy, helped us gain visibility within the chamber music world. It has also been instrumental in helping us realize many of our artistic goals and sustain ourselves in what can often be a very expensive industry.” —GC

Phoenix Avalon—Violin: Giovanni Battista Guadagnini, ca. 1753; bows: Étienne Pajeot, James Tubbs, and E.A. Ouchard, ca. 1945; strings: Thomastik-Infeld Peter Infeld 

Joshua McClendon—Cello: Giovanni Grancino, ca. 1697; bow: André Richaume, ca. 1960; strings: Thomastik-Infeld Peter Infeld

Devin Moore—Viola: Michele de Luccia, ca. 1975; bow: Rodney Mohr

Adrian Steele—Violin: Camillo Camilli; bows: Joseph Henry,
Charles Espey; strings: Thomastik-Infeld Rondo