The Lark Quartet continues to delight audiences with its energy, passionate commitment and imaginative artistry. The current foursome, all soloists in their own right, have come together to form a “polished and warmly communicative ensemble,” that delivers “a performance of grace, proportion and burnished brilliance,” according to Tim Page of the Washington Post. Performing with a unique blend of excitement, individuality, technique and an unusually sonorous quartet sound, the Lark has won the acclaim of critics and audiences alike.

The Lark has earned numerous international awards, including the Naumburg and Shostakovich prizes. The ensemble has performed at many of the world’s great cultural centers including Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center in New York, the Kennedy Center and Library of Congress in Washington, the Herkules Saal in Munich, the L’Opera de la Bastille in Paris, London’s Wigmore Hall, the Tonhalle in Zurich and throughout Sweden, Denmark, Mexico, Australia and New Zealand. The quartet has appeared at numerous international festivals including the Schleswig-Holstein Festival, Lockenhaus, the Istanbul Festival and the Beethoven Festival in Moscow. The extensive Lark discography features a wide range of repertoire, and can be found on the Arabesque, New World, Point, Argora, Decca/Argo ERI and Endeavor labels.

The Lark has always been very active in commissioning and premiering new music. Many of these works have become mainstays of the chamber music repertoire and include: Qt. No. 1 Musica celestis and Qt. No.2 Musica instrumentalis(1997 Pulitzer Prize) by Aaron Jay Kernis, Qt. No.2 In memoriam and Piano Qunitet No.2, by Peter Schickele,  "A Poet's Dream, by Jennifer Higdon, Early That Summer, by Julia Wolfe and Viaggio in Italia, by Giovanni Sollima. Featured in Strings Magazine last summer, the Lark juggles a number of musical projects including an extensive tour of Sweden and an upcoming CD recording for Koch records in December.

Inspired by the quartet’s recent ground-breaking collaborations with The Ethos Percussion Group, the success of their highly acclaimed CD, “Klap ‘Ur Handz,” commissions of new works by Pulitzer-Prize winning composer Paul Moravec and Daniel Bernard Roumain(DBR), the Lark has embarked on a bold new venture, The Lark Chamber Artists. This new version of the Lark features a core group of musicians representing strings, piano, woodwinds and percussion, and programming that encompasses a broad range of musical styles including elements of classical, jazz, hip-hop and world music. In 2007-2008, the LCA will premiere a new work by Giovanni Sollima, and tours with American pianist Gary Graffman, which will include works by Jennifer Higdon and Alfred Schnittke.   In 2009, LCA will premiere a piano quintet by Paul Moravec, featuring guest artist Jeremy Denk,

The Lark is based in New York and serves as Ensemble in Residence at the University of Massachusetts in Amherst.

Core Artists
Deborah Buck, Violin
Lisa Lee, Violin
Kathryn Lockwood, Viola
Astrid Schween, Cello
Todd Palmer, Clarinet
Yousif Sheronick, Percussion

Special Guest Artists
Kenneth Cooper, Harpshichord / Fortepiano *
Gary Graffman, Piano
Jeremy Denk, Piano
Ethos Percussion Group

Guest Artists/Collaborators
Maria Bachmann, Violin
Marjorie Bagley, Violin *
Eva Burmeister, Violin
Volkan Orhon, Bass
Pedja Muzijevic, Piano
Gary Hammond, Piano

* Baroque Program