Aeolus Quartet Names Isabelle Durrenberger as First Violinist

Durrenberger will replace founding member Nicholas Tavani

The Aeolus Quartet will say goodbye to one of its founding violinists, Nicholas Tavani, who along with his wife, composer Alexandra T. Bryant, have accepted college teaching positions in South Florida.

Tavani will be replaced by violinist Isabelle Durrenberger who joins violinist Rachel Shapiro, violist Caitlin Lynch, and cellist Jia Kim.

“We send Nick off with infinite love and deep gratitude for the courageous vision and generous spirit he helped to instill in the quartet from the very beginning," the group writes. "As a founding member of the quartet, his myriad contributions are truly immeasurable, and will continue to resonate long after his departure. He is and always will be a treasured friend and member of the Aeolus family.”

Originally formed in 2008 at The Cleveland Institute of Music, the Aeolus Quartet was the 2013-2015 Juilliard Graduate Resident String Quartet and is currently Quartet-in-Residence at Musica Viva NY. They have performed in venues ranging from the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center to Carnegie's Weill Recital Hall, to Dupont Underground, a subterranean streetcar station in DC’s Dupont Circle.

“We are thrilled to welcome Isabelle to the group," the quartet added. "A longtime friend of the quartet, Isabelle commands a tremendous power of expression and a beautiful innate sense of musicality. We could not be more excited for this new chapter and for the musical journey ahead."

Currently based in New York City, Isabelle Durrenberger is a 2023-25 fellow of Carnegie Hall’s renowned Ensemble Connect program. Her 2024-25 season features solo and collaborative performances with the Boston Chamber Music Society, Jupiter Chamber Players, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra in Carnegie Hall, The Knights, and the Grammy-nominated conductorless chamber orchestra, A Far Cry.

A graduate of the New England Conservatory in Boston, where she studied with Soovin Kim and Don Weilerstein, Isabelle spent recent summers making chamber music at the Marlboro Music Festival, Lake Champlain Chamber Music Festival, and Four Seasons Spring Workshop.

As an educator, she serves on the violin faculty at the New England Conservatory Preparatory School in Boston and has a private violin studio in New York City.