The Dolphins are a premiere Juilliard string quartet committed to adventure, excellence, and accessibility. Formed in Blue Hill, Maine at the 2022 Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the quartet has since performed nationwide. The Dolphins have frequently featured at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall, performing the Juilliard premiere of Mieczyslaw Weinberg’s String Quartet No. 4, Villa-Lobos’ String Quartet No. 5, and the world premiere of William Stackpole’s 2021 String Quartet.
The Dolphins work closely with living composers, recently performing John Corigliano’s 1995 String Quartet and Daniel Ficarri’s ‘Lessons from the Neighborhood’. The Dolphins also presented their first collective composition, ‘The Dolphin Miniatures’ at Juilliard and around New York City. This past summer, the Dolphins returned to Maine and Kneisel Hall to perform Schoenberg’s String Quartet No. 1 and Beethoven Op. 18, No. 1, and finished the summer with a series of concerts at Music from Angel Fire in New Mexico where they worked closely with composer-in-residence, Andy Akiho, and percussionist, Ian Rosenbaum, on Akiho’s ‘Ligneous’ for string quartet and marimba.
The Dolphins are fortunate to have studied with Laurie Smukler, Joel Krosnick, Natasha Brofsky, Molly Carr, Nick Mann, Fred Sherry, Paul Neubauer, John Corigliano, and the Juilliard String Quartet. Recently, The Dolphins helped launch the ‘Music for the Future’ educational campaign for Project: Music Heals Us, bringing Juilliard composition curriculums to detention and rehabilitation centers in California. The Dolphins are proud Juilliard Gluck Community Service Fellows and perform outreach concerts throughout NYC. In 2024, the Dolphins will visit multiple universities and conservatories as guest artists to perform and work with students on quartets and improvisation. Outside of rehearsal, James is a pie connoisseur, Ian climbs rocks, Luke binges Bob Ross ‘The Joy of Painting’ re-runs, and Isaac enjoys video games.