Spektral Quartet to Disband After 11 Years

The Chicago-based string quartet will disband after the end of this 2021-22 concert season

The Spektral Quartet comprises violinists Clara Lyon and Maeve Feinberg and its founding members, violist Doyle Armbrust and cellist Russell Rolen. They will play their final concert together on June 11, 2022.

“Over time, we’ve come to realize that our paths are leading us in different directions,” stated the ensemble on their website. “As one might imagine, the reasons for this are complex and numerous. We believe that given our circumstances, this is the best decision for the four of us, and therefore also for Spektral.”

The multi-Grammy Award nominee was founded in 2010 by Armbrust and Rolen. They have toured extensively around the U.S., performing at the Kennedy Center, Miller Theater, Library of Congress, and NPR’s Tiny Desk Concerts. 

The quartet has long championed the work of local composers and developed collaborations and residencies in the Chicago region. For the 2020-21 season, they announced their Digital Artist Residency at University Musical Society (UMS) with Lebanese-born Afro-Tarab/jazz innovator Tarek Yamani.

“We recognize just how fortunate we are to have pursued such meaningful projects and contributed to the cultural fabric of our great city of Chicago with the artistic, financial, and moral support of so many of you,” the quartet wrote on social media. “And so we wish to express our profound gratitude.

“This might sound like goodbye, but let us assure you it is not! We have so much music left to share with you this season and we want you to be there to hear it all and celebrate with us from now until the end,” they concluded. “It is our sincere hope that our friendships with each of you endure long into the future.”

Click here to see their remaining concerts.

TOMEKA REID | PROSPECTIVE DWELLERS | SPEKTRAL QUARTET | 2021