Pacifica Quartet
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The Pacifica Quartet is a professional string ensemble based in the Chicago, Illinois area. Its members are: Simin Ganatra, first violin; Sibbi Bernhardsson, second violin; Masumi Per Rostad, viola; and Brandon Vamos, cello.
Formed in 1994, the group has won top prizes in international ensemble competitions such as the 1996 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, the 1997 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. They have also received Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award in 2002 and the Avery Fisher Career Grant in 2006.
The Pacifica frequently tours throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Their wide range of repertoire includes both classical and contemporary music, and they commission and perform up to eight new works a year. Recently they have toured with concerts of Elliot Carter's complete string quartets. In addition, the ensemble regularly teaches at summer festivals such as Interlochen Arts Camp and Madeline Island Music Festival, and is frequently invited for visiting residencies at universities and schools nationwide.
Their recorded repertoire includes the complete string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn (Cedille Records, April 2005) and "Declarations: Music Between the Wars" (Cedille Records, September 2006), a look into chamber music composed in the 1920s and early 1930s.
Currently they serve as Quartet in Residence at the University of Chicago and Faculty Quartet in Residence at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. They are represented by Melvin Kaplan.
Their homepage is www.pacificaquartet.com
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