The Amnis Piano Quartet is a New Haven-based ensemble comprised of violinist Minkyung Lee, violist Matthew McDowell, cellist Jenny Bahk, and pianist Linda Lee. They most recently won bronze medal in the 50th Annual Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the largest and longest running chamber competition in the United States. They are proud to be the second piano quartet in the competition’s history to ever win a medal. Passionate about the performance and commission of underrepresented composers, Amnis has made it their priority to program female composers, and specifically Korean female composers. The lack of representation in this demographic within a field with so many leading female Korean performers is something Amnis hopes to begin to rectify.
The quartet began collaborating together under the tutelage of Ettore Causa during their graduate studies at the Yale School of Music. During their first semester of formation, the ensemble was selected to perform in the Yale School of Music’s Vista Chamber Music concert and soon after won the Oneppo Concert Series Chamber Music Competition. They have concertized across the Northeast United States and have upcoming concerts and competitions in New York, Maryland, Philadelphia, Texas, Ohio, Italy, and South Korea. The quartet has worked extensively with Yale faculty members Ettore Causa, Wei-yi Yang, and Boris Berman, as has also worked with the Horszowski Trio. The individual members hold degrees from Seoul National University, Colburn Academy, the Juilliard School, the International Menuhin Music Academy (Switzerland), and Yale University.