Ivalas Quartet Appoints Marcus Stevenson as New Violist

Formed at the University of Michigan in 2017, the quartet is presently the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School

Comprising Reuben Kebede and Tiana Butts (violins) and Pedro Sanchez (cello), the Ivalas Quartet was formed at the University of Michigan in 2017. The ensemble is presently the Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School, where they study under the Juilliard String Quartet.

The New York-based ensemble has recently appointed violist Marcus Stevenson to the group.

Having attended The Juilliard School’s Music Advancement Program and the Manhattan School of Music Pre-College program, Stevenson then studied with Jeffrey Irvine at the Cleveland Institute of Music. While there, he was a member of the Elless Quartet — which was one of CIM's premier ensembles from the Advanced String Quartet Program and Grand Prize winner in the 2020 Coltman Chamber Music Competition.

Stevenson is presently studying with Heidi Castleman at The Juilliard School.

The quartet prioritizes the programming of BIPOC composers such as Jessie Montgomery, Daniel Bernard Roumain, Samuel Coleridge-Taylor, and Eleanor Alberga. In collaboration with the Sphinx Organization, the group has also presented educational programming in the Metro Detroit area, with an emphasis on community engagement in schools with Black and Latinx communities. They were previously in residence at the University of Colorado-Boulder, where their mentors were the Takács Quartet. 

"We are absolutely thrilled to welcome violist Marcus Stevenson to the Ivalas Quartet!" the ensemble said in a statement. "Marcus’s love for chamber music is contagious. This New Jersey native has made quite an impact in the classical music world through his teaching and coaching experience and throughout his time in multiple medal-winning ensembles such as the Elless Quartet."

"Marcus has already added such an incredible presence to the Ivalas Quartet through his extraordinary talents, his fresh perspectives, and warm smile."