Seattle Chamber Music Society Names First String Quartet in Residence

VC Artist Balourdet Quartet will hold the residency from September 2025 to May 2026

Presenting and celebrating top music performances since 1982, the Seattle Chamber Music Society (SCMS) announced the Balourdet Quartet as its first-ever string quartet in residence. 

Comprising violinists Angela Bae and Justin DeFilippis, violist Benjamin Zannoni, and cellist Russell Houston, the quartet was most recently the Graduate Quartet in Residence at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University. In 2024, the group received an Avery Fisher Career Grant and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. 

As part of its nine-month residency at SCMS, the Balourdet Quartet will be based in King County, Washington, performing numerous engagements including special community events, educational initiatives, and formal concerts. 

Additionally, the quartet will perform at outreach events, including the Azure Concerts — free performances for children and young adults who are on the autism spectrum. 

Other projects throughout the residency include coaching students from the SCMS Youth Academy and performing in the SCMS Signature Series, alongside Artistic Director James Ehnes and other SCMS musicians. 

“We’re honored to be the inaugural ensemble for Seattle Chamber Music Society’s new String Quartet in Residence program,” Bae expressed. “We look forward to an exciting 2025–26 season of performances and meaningful involvement in SCMS’s education and community outreach across King County.”

“This long-term partnership with the extraordinarily gifted Balourdet Quartet allows us to deepen our artistic mission in ways that extend far beyond the stage,” Ehnes added. “By relocating to Seattle, the quartet will engage meaningfully with students and audiences across King County, not only performing but becoming part of the fabric of our community. This is the only residency of its kind at a non-academic institution — fully dedicated to artistic excellence and community engagement rather than traditional public concert presentation.”

“For nearly two decades, arts and local government leaders championed a vision of expanding cultural access for exactly this purpose — to create opportunities for all King County residents to explore, find joy, and forge connections through the arts, sciences, and heritage,” said King County Councilmember Claudia Balducci. “I am delighted that our efforts are already showing a positive impact, bringing world-class performers like the Balourdet Quartet to King County and making their artistry accessible to audiences throughout our County.”