Telegraph Quartet Begins Residency at The University of Michigan School of Music, Theatre & Dance

The string quartet will begin its residency at the school in the fall of 2024

The Telegraph Quartet will begin its three-year artist residency at the University of Michigan’s (U-M) School of Music, Theatre & Dance (SMTD) in fall 2024. Members of the string quartet are violinists Eric Chin and Joseph Maile, violist Pei-Ling Lin, and cellist Jeremiah Shaw. 

As part of the residency, the group will coach student chamber music groups, conduct studio classes or seminars, and offer mentorship sessions to those interested in chamber music careers.

The quartet will also perform several concerts on campus and be involved in SMTD’s collaborative performance-based projects alongside the students and faculty across the school. 

Founded in 2013, the Telegraph Quartet has performed in concert halls, music festivals, and academic institutions throughout the U.S. and internationally. Among their collaborators include pianists Leon Fleisher and Simone Dinnerstein, cellists Norman Fischer and Bonnie Hampton, violinist Ian Swensen, and the St. Lawrence and Henschel Quartets. 

The group has also premiered works by John Harbison, Richard Festinger, Robert Sirota, and Osvaldo Golijov. In 2014, the quartet won the Grand Prize at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and in 2016, they received the Walter W. Naumburg Chamber Music Award.

“We are so honored that the Telegraph Quartet has chosen to engage in an extended residency at the University of Michigan,” said U-M’s president Santa Ono in the press release. “For me personally, few activities provide greater joy than playing the cello. As one of the nation’s foremost public universities, we are dedicated to being as excellent in the sciences as we are exceptional in the arts. What’s more, through our Vision 2034, we have dedicated ourselves to providing a life-changing education, and the gifts of art and creativity that the members of the Telegraph Quartet offer to our students, staff, and faculty will long resonate throughout our community.” 

“I’m delighted that the [SMTD] is engaging the Telegraph Quartet for this residency, which will beautifully complement the dynamic work of our resident faculty in the Departments of Strings and Chamber Music,” added the school’s Dean David Gier. “Our students will benefit significantly from sustained and focused interactions with this gifted professional quartet that will help them develop as chamber musicians and envision and plan for their lives as working musicians.” 

“We are excited to begin our new role as the faculty quartet-in-residence at the University of Michigan and overjoyed to be calling Ann Arbor our new home!” the quartet stated. “It’s thrilling to be aligned with such a vibrant and forward-thinking university that is so dedicated to the future through creative exploration. We are looking forward to bringing with us one of the most cherished aspects of chamber music – working together synergistically – and partnering with the faculty to nurture the experience for all the students within the university and the community abroad.” 

Among other engagements, the quartet has given masterclasses at the San Francisco State University, Taipei National University of the Arts, and in Mexico’s San Miguel de Allende. Most recently, the group served on the chamber music faculty at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music as the quartet-in-residence. 

“We want to express our heartfelt thanks to our community in the Bay Area and at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music who have so deeply supported us these past ten years,” the members added. “We look forward to creating connections between our first home and our next at the University of Michigan!”

“The appointment of the Telegraph Quartet is truly historic in that it represents a groundbreaking opportunity for our students to learn through the mentorship of these four exemplary artists,” noted David Halen, Chair of the Department of Strings. “With their broad and eclectic programming, they will bring an even greater variety of musical experiences to campus, and we predict they will magnificently represent the wealth of offerings at the University of Michigan through their wide-ranging performing career.”

“It's been so inspiring for our students, faculty, and staff to begin to see Eric's, Joseph's, Pei-Ling's, and Jeremiah's passion and commitment for string quartet playing throughout their audition process,” expressed Matt Albert, Chair of the Department of Chamber Music. “These four people connect with one another deeply and respectfully. Their ability to help others connect in equally meaningful ways will lift up our entire chamber music community, from strings through woodwinds, brass, and piano, in music old, new, and not yet written.”