Programs and Repertoire
Recording Project
(March 2027)
Education and Community
Past Projects
Repertoire
It all begins with a piece of music we want to bring to life. To the right, browse through what we’re offering this current season. To see what we’re planning for future seasons, take a look below at our upcoming season programs.
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HAYDN: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 54 No. 2 (1788), 19’
DEBUSSY: String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10 (1892–93), 25’
-intermission-
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 (1806), 40’
Total: 84 minutes
Creativity takes many forms, but the most transformative works often arise from a sense of necessity, when composers are compelled to reinvent what they know in response to isolation, identity, or artistic pressure. The three quartets on this program by Haydn, Debussy, and Beethoven stand as testaments to that originality, each reshaping the boundaries of what the quartet could be.
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BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 5 in A Major, Op. 18 No. 5 (1799), 30’
SCHULHOFF: Five Pieces for String Quartet (1923), 12’
-intermission-
BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59 No. 1 (1806), 40’
Total: 82 minutes
In honor of the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in 2027, this program features two of his most radiant and celebratory string quartets, paired with a sharply contrasting work of the 20th century.
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ANNA CLYNE: Naumburg Commission TBD, ~15’
JANÁČEK: String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters” (1928), 25’
-intermission-
MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 44 No. 1 (1838), 30’
Music is often shaped by the people around composers: patrons, collaborators, muses, and kindred spirits. This program explores how those relationships leave their imprint on the string quartet, from deeply personal obsession to artistic flourishing within vibrant cultural circles. This program features a new work by Anna Clyne written specifically for the Terra String Quartet.
Note: this program is available for performance after April 2027 -
See below for more information on our first album featuring works by Debussy, Juri Seo, and Britten.
Quartet Album:
Debussy, Seo, and Britten
Five years ago, the Terra String Quartet began its journey together. Among the first works we learned were Debussy's String Quartet and Britten's Second Quartet, pieces that have stayed with us through countless rehearsals, performances, and moments of discovery. In March 2027, we will bring these works into the studio for our first recording. Alongside these foundational works, we are also thrilled to record Juri Seo's String Quartet No. 2 “Overgrown Paths,” our first commissioned work as a quartet. We can’t wait to share more details about our recording project in the months ahead!
Listen to our premiere of Juri Seo’s String Quartet No. 2 “Overgrown Paths” at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts:
“When the Terra String Quartet asked me to write a piece to accompany Benjamin Britten’s second quartet—an homage in itself to Henry Purcell—I was immediately drawn to the third movement, Chacony. Popular during the early Baroque period, the chacony (the English spelling of chaconne) is a formal device in which music unfolds over a repeating bass line. Despite its cyclic harmonic motion and somewhat closed phrase structure, a successful chacony carries a sense of relentless forward momentum, like the cycles of the seasons or the passage of time. Along the way, it reveals an infinite path from one place to another. Following Britten’s lead in deconstructing the form, I treat the chacony not as a fixed template but as a guideline—perhaps a spiritual root.”
-Juri Seo
Benjamin Britten: String Quartets
String Quartet No. 1 in D Major — String Quartet No. 2 in C Major — String Quartet No. 3 in G Major
with Purcell, Beethoven, Juri Seo, and more
As the Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts for the 24-25 season, we curated a series of three programs, each one centered on one of the three Britten quartets and surrounded by pieces that related to his life, compositional process, and inspirations. The performances took place on Nov 2024, May 2025, and July 2025.
To read more about each program, please view our program curations here.
Britten’s music has always felt very personal to us. His music has the ability to transport us to an otherworldly and spiritual place, safe from the trepidations of war, political turmoil, and injustice. Britten himself was a pacifist and a conscientious objector. At the same time, his music also channels the most raw and unfiltered of human emotion, and it allows us to express feelings of fear, loneliness, nostalgia, or sorrow in the most vulnerable but cathartic of ways. In this modern world, Britten’s music brings us solace and understanding as we navigate our lives as both musicians and members of our global society.
Three Quartets by Greg Sandow
A concert in February 2024 reconnected us with Greg Sandow, a former professor of Harriet and Amelia's at The Juilliard School. We were delighted that this chance encounter blossomed into such a rewarding collaboration when Greg invited us to record all three of his string quartets. We loved learning about Greg’s inspirations for his pieces, and his passion, depth of musical ideas, and encouragement of our own musical instincts made the process a truly fruitful experience.
Now released on the Asics label, you can hear his music, and download the CD booklet and press release (with scores and more info available below, and special downloads for reviewers and radio stations available on an Acis press page.
Education and Community
We believe in giving back to our communities through our shared love for music, learning, and growth.
As the Yale School of Music Fellowship Quartet-in-Residence through 2027, we work closely with talented undergraduate students from Yale College. We coach their chamber groups regularly and meet altogether for studio class performances once every two weeks.
As the Caramoor Center for Music and Arts Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence in the 2024-2025 season, we visited over fifteen classrooms across the greater New York City region and explored ensemble playing, musical expression, and rehearsal strategies.
As the 2023-2024 Project Music Heals Us Ensemble-in-Residence, we brought music to residents at retirement communities, hospices, schools, and the NYC Department of Corrections.
We continue to offer a wide variety of masterclasses, group coaching, string lessons, and performance workshops. We believe everyone should have access to art and music, and we aim to bring the joy of string quartet playing and open conversations surrounding teamwork, resilience, and creativity to as many communities as possible!
