BIO

Emily Daggett Smith violin
Cordelia Paw | violin
Edward Klorman | viola
Karen Ouzounian | cello

One of the most exciting chamber ensembles currently emerging on the concert scene, the Tessera Quartet has already created an energetic presence, captivating audiences with its glowing sound and bold interpretations. A compelling mosaic of four accomplished young soloists, the Tessera Quartet was formed under the guidance of the renowned Juilliard String Quartet in 2007 and made its official New York debut on the stories Schneider Concerts series at the New School.

Recent highlights include collaborations with Orli Shaham at (le) Poisson Rouge and recital appearances with the legendary pianists Claude Frank and Hamish Milne, as well as multiple performances of Lowell Liebermann's Piano Quintet with the composer at the piano. The Tessera Quartet performed an intimate recital to benefit Classical Action, at the behest of IMG chairman Charles Hamlen, and has also performed on many series, including Ars Vitalis at Kean University, Brooklyn Friends of Chamber Music, Chamber Music Life at Queens College, Music Mondays, NYC House Concerts and Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society, and Teaneck Arts. Members of the Tessera have performed on the world's finest stages, including at Aspen Music Festival, The Banff Centre, Marlboro Music, Music@Menlo, Seattle Chamber Music Society, and the Steans Music Institute at Ravinia.

Committed advocates for new music, the Tessera Quartet has worked closely with composers Aaron Jay Kernis and Lowell Liebermann, whose complete quartets it is currently recording for Albany Records. Also for Albany Records and in collaboration with the Renaissance Choral Association, the Tessera quartet is recording a world-premiere album of recently rediscovered music by Harold Brown, to commemorate the composer's centennial.

Emily Daggett Smith is a celebrated young violinist and chamber musician, having won the Gold Medal at Fischoff in the junior division in 2005 with the Alisier Trio. Now completing her final year as an undergraduate at The Juilliard School, where she is an acting concertmaster of the orchestra, she studies with Joel Smirnoff. In her first year, she traveled with the Juilliard Orchestra in the nationwide 100th anniversary tour, and again in 2008, with the tour to China. She has performed at Carnegie Hall, Avery Fisher Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Zankel Auditorium, Weill Hall, Symphony Space, and Boston's Symphony Hall, in orchestral and chamber groups with artists including Claude Frank and Joseph Kalichstein. She has participated in festivals including Kneisel Hall, the Orpheus program at The Juilliard School, Banff International Master Classes, and the New York String Orchestra Seminar. She has won various competitions in the Boston area and performed violin concerti with the Brockton, Newton and Waltham Symphonies. She has appeared on PBS's national broadcast, “Live at Lincoln Center” as well as twice on NPR's“From the Top.” For nine summers, she attended Greenwood Music Camp in Cummington, MA, which fostered her deep love of chamber music, and in honor of Greenwood's 75th anniversary she performed Saint-Saens Rondo-Capriccioso with the Greenwood orchestra at the Hatch Shell at the Esplanade in Boston.

Violinist Cordelia Paw

[Bio coming soon]

Edward Klorman is rapidly emerging as one of most exciting violists of his generation and as an innovative leader in the music community. He has performed as soloist in Eastman Theatre, with the Rochester Chamber Orchestra, and with New York’s Camerata Notturna and as co-soloist with Stefan Jackiw for Mozart’s Sinfonia Concertante. An avid chamber musician, he has collaborated with such renowned artists as the Orion Quartet, Ying Quartet, Claude Frank, Joseph Kalichstein, and Charles Neidich. A founder of two chamber music series – the Canandaigua LakeMusic Festival (in upstate New York’s Finger Lakes region) and Music at the Bowery (at the historic St. Mark’s Church-in-the-Bowery in Manhattan’s East Village) – Mr. Klorman is deeply committed to sharing classical music with broader audiences and has been acclaimed by New Yorker critic Alex Ross for his community engagement activities. Mr. Klorman graduated with distinction from The Juilliard School, where he recently joined the faculty. He has presented illuminating lectures that combine music performance and the historical imagination at the Salzburg Mozarteum, Université de Montréal, and the International Viola Congress. Describing a recent presentation, The Strad wrote “Edward Klorman gave a thoroughly researched and imaginatively illustrated lecture, turning a subject which is often dry and theoretical into a practical and fascinating one.” Mr. Klorman makes his home in New York City. For more information, visit www.EdwardKlorman.com.

An avid recitalist and chamber musician, Armenian-Canadian cellist Karen Ouzounian has performed throughout North America and Europe. She collaborates regularly with pianist Vikingur Olafsson and joins the East Coast Chamber Orchestra for its 2007 season. nclude collaboration with the Juilliard Dance Division, as well as performances at the Festspiele Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany and ChamberFest at The Juilliard School. She was invited to participate in the Open Chamber Music Seminar at Prussia Cove (UK) in 2006 and 2005. As a soloist she has performed Schumann’s Cello Concerto with the Canadian Sinfonietta, Beethoven's Triple Concerto with Sinfonia Toronto and the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Cathedral Bluffs Symphony Orchestra. She has also participated in the Focus! Festival for Contemporary Music, performing the world premiere of Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s piano quintet Khazar and Lou Harrison’s Suite for Cello and Harp. Ms. Ouzounian obtained a Bachelor of Music and Master of Music degrees from The Juilliard School as a pupil of Timothy Eddy. She is a recipient of The Juilliard School’s Grunin Prize and Presidential Distinction Award for the top cello audition, and has served as principal cellist of The Juilliard Orchestra. Karen has additionally studied at the Taos School of Music, the International Musicians' Seminar (UK), the International Holland Music Sessions, the Sarasota Music Festival, the Casalmaggiore International Music Festival (Italy) and the Banff and Orford Arts Centres in Canada.

Born in Toronto in 1985, Ms. Ouzounian studied with Simon Fryer and Andras Weber. A scholarship student at the Royal Conservatory of Music, she received top honours in several regional and national music
competitions.