New-York Based Argus Quartet Welcomes New Cellist

American cellist Mariel Roberts will join the ensemble in their upcoming season

Within the Argus Quartet, Mariel Roberts joins violinists Clara Kim and Giancarlo Latta, and violist Maren Rothfritz.

As a soloist and chamber musician, Roberts has appeared across four continents and performs regularly across classical, jazz, and experimental genres.

She is currently a member and co-director of the Wet Ink Ensemble, and has played with the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), Mivos Quartet, Bang on a Can All Stars, and Ensemble Signal.

Roberts has released two solo albums of new works that were commissioned for her, entitled “Nonextraneous Sounds” and “Cartography.” She has been featured on multiple records, on labels such as Innova Records, Albany Records, New World Records, New Amsterdam, Carrier Records, New Focus, and Urtext Records.

Also a composer, Roberts' compositions have been performed at venues such as Merkin Hall and Miller Theater in New York City.

"I am thrilled to be joining Argus Quartet — I admire this ensemble so much for their artistic excellence, deep and thoughtful musicianship, and wonderful spirits," Roberts said. "Playing with them is an absolute joy, and I'm looking forward to what we will create together and to the many beautiful performances to come!"

Roberts joins the Argus Quartet in their upcoming season, which includes performances at the Chautauqua Institution, the Newman Center at the University of Denver, the Carpenter Center at California State University, Long Beach, ArtPower at UC San Diego, and Weill Recital Hall at Carnegie Hall.

In spring 2023, the Quartet will tour with a new concert program featuring works by Indigenous composers, including the world premiere of Anne Leilehua Lanzilotti’s ahupua’a, commissioned for the ensemble by the National Performance Network. For more information on next season, click here.

Founded in Los Angeles in 2013, the Argus Quartet is the First Prize winner at both the 2017 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and the 2017 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition.

They have previously served as the Fellowship Quartet in Residence at the Yale School of Music under the guidance of the Brentano Quartet, and as the Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School, where they worked closely with the Juilliard String Quartet.

They have also held residencies at New Music on the Point with the JACK Quartet and at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts as the Ernst Stiefel Quartet in Residence.