Cassatt String Quartet

Named for American impressionist painter Mary Cassatt, the Cassatt String Quartet has earned critical praise throughout North America, the Far East, and Europe. The musicians are violinists Muneko Otani and Jennifer Leshnower, violist Michiko Oshima, and cellist Kelley Mikkelsen. Cassatt won fellowships at Tanglewood and Yale, took top prizes at competitions such as Banff, Fischoff, and Coleman, and received the 1995 Chamber Music America/ASCAP First Prize Award for Adventurous Programming. Cassatt performs standard repertory in addition to the works they commission from contemporary composers. They perform the piece “Anna” on vocalist Gisburg’s 1998 Tzadik release, Trust. At the time of the CD’s release, they served as Quartet-in-Residence at East Carolina University, Syracuse University, and at various festivals along the East Coast, including N.Y.C.’s Bang on a Can Festival. ~ Joslyn Layne