Poiesis Quartet

EVENT SPONSORS
- Season Sponsor: Available
- Series Sponsor: Available
- Concert Sponsor: Available
- Artist Sponsor: Available
- Lecture Series Sponsor: SINFONIA SALT LAKE
- Garden Sponsor: CACTUS & TROPICALS
- Post-Concert Reception Sponsor: DÉLICE BAKERY & CAFÉ
- Print Sponsor: SUN PRINT SOLUTIONS

The award-winning, Cincinnati-based POIESIS QUARTET continues our 61st season on Wednesday, October 28, 2026, at Libby Gardner Concert Hall on the University of Utah campus. Grand Prize winners of the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and First Prize winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, the Poiesis Quartet brings what the New York Times calls "multifaceted artistry" and "brilliantly idiomatic" programming to every performance.

Concert details
- Estimated duration: 1 hour and 30 minutes

Program
- Joseph Haydn – String Quartet in B-flat major, Op.71, No.1 — 23 min
- Jeff Scott – Tapestry of the Beloved Beatified — timing unknown (new work)
- Intermission — 15 min
- Sky Macklay – Many Many Cadences — 9 min
- Ludwig van Beethoven – String Quartet No.16 in F major, Op.135 — 25 min

All timings are approximate. Program and artists subject to change.

First time?
WE’RE SO EXCITED YOU’RE HERE!
Whether you’re a seasoned chamber music lover or brand new to classical music concerts, we are thrilled you’re considering spending an evening with the Chamber Music Society. Consider attending the free Pre-Concert Talk at 6:30 p.m. before the performance. If you have additional questions, contact us.

Featured Performers
POIESIS QUARTET
- Sarah Ying Ma, violin
- Max Ball, violin
- Jasper de Boor, viola
- Drew Dansby, cello

Celebrated for their "multifaceted artistry" and "brilliantly idiomatic" programming (New York Times), the Poiesis Quartet is the winner of the 2026 Cleveland Quartet Award and the First Prize and Commission Prize recipients of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition. In 2023, they were named the Grand Prize and Lift Every Voice Prize winners of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, as well as Gold Medal and BIPOC Prize winners at the 2023 St. Paul String Quartet Competition. In May 2024, Poiesis joined the Concert Artists Guild roster for North American management as winners of the Louis and Susan Meisel Competition.

Derived from ancient Greek (ποιεῖν), the word Poiesis means "to make"; specifically, to create something that has never existed before. With a focus on expanding the string quartet repertoire with vibrant new works by emerging composers, the Poiesis Quartet infuses each performance with unique moments of synchronicity and verve. Their 2024 debut album 'as we are' on the Bright Shiny Things label features world premiere recordings and was lauded for the quartet’s "bottomless depth" (Cleveland Classical).

Poiesis has presented several world premieres, including a 2025 premiere of Kevin Lau's String Quartet No. 7 'Surfacing' at the Chautauqua Institution, and led the Oberlin Commission Project presenting world premieres by LGBTQ+ composers of color in March 2026. They were selected as the only North American ensemble to compete in the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition.

The Poiesis Quartet is currently the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM). As graduates of Oberlin College & Conservatory, they were previously mentored by members of established quartets and have completed multiple international residencies and engagements. When not playing chamber music, Poiesis loves to learn new languages, share ice cream cakes, and take long walks on the beach.