Brentano Quartet

"a masterclass in Eloquence."

– The Guardian

Mark Steinberg, violin | Serena Canin, violin | Misha Amory, viola | Nina Lee, cello

Twenty years may be the first truly significant longevity milestone for an international string quartet. Formed in 1992, the Brentano Quartet has performed for thirty-three. They won the Naumburg Chamber Music Award and first-ever Cleveland Quartet Award (1995), and the Royal Philharmonic Award for Most Outstanding Debut at London’s Wigmore Hall.

Their launch was followed by international touring at the most prestigious classical music venues on five continents, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Washington’s Library of Congress, Amsterdam’s Concertgebouw, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and the Sydney Opera House. Praise has been bestowed by The New York Times (“luxuriously warm sound [and] yearning lyricism”) and The Times of London (“wonderful, selfless music-making.”) 

Their recordings of great works by Beethoven, Mozart, Schubert, and more include Beethoven’s Quartet No. 14, Op. 131, featured in the 2012 film A Late Quartet starring Philip Seymour Hoffman and Christopher Walken. In spring 2025, they performed Haydn’s complete Op. 33 string quartets at New York’s Carnegie Hall and in several other U.S. cities. 

The Quartet is named for Antonie Brentano, whom many scholars consider to be Beethoven’s “Immortal Beloved,” the intended recipient of his famous love confession.