Doric String Quartet

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BIOGRAPHY

Maia Cabeza, violin
Ying Xue, violin
Emma Wernig, viola
John Myerscough, cello

“Luminous beauty of sound”
- Daily Telegraph

The Doric String Quartet brings elegance and refinement to both the Classical canon and new music, offering fresh perspectives of familiar masterpieces. For over two decades, the quartet has combined the insight of a long-established ensemble with fresh artistic energy and a sense of discovery. They have performed complete cycles of Bartók and Britten at major European venues, including the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, Vienna Konzerthaus and Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie. The first instalment of their Beethoven recording cycle was released in 2023 and praised by The Times as ‘a joy’, the series marking the 200th anniversary of Beethoven’s death in 2027.

Their pursuit of deeper stylistic understanding has led them to use specially commissioned original style bows when performing Classical repertoire from Haydn to Mendelssohn. Alongside their insightful performances of this repertoire, they are committed to new music, performing works by composers including, Thomas Adès, Andrea Tarrodi and Eleanor Alberga, and giving world premieres including by Donnacha Dennehy and Deidre Gribbin. They gave the world premiere of Brett Dean’s String Quartet no.3, Hidden Agendas, in 2019, and will appear at the Royal Opera House in January 2027 in Good Sometimes Queen, a new staging of two dramatic song cycles by Dean and Matthew Jocelyn exploring the fates of Mary, Queen of Scots and Shakespeare’s Ophelia. Their discography of more than 20 recordings for Chandos, with whom they have recorded exclusively since 2010, ranges from Purcell to John Adams.

The quartet’s collaborations extend beyond string-quartet repertoire, with musicians and artists from across the classical spectrum. This season they join forces with Héloïse Werner for a recital at Wigmore Hall and tour with Anna Prohaska. They perform regularly with musicians including pianists Jonathan Biss and Benjamin Grosvenor, violist Timothy Ridout and fellow string quartets including Marmen and Quiroga.

The quartet regularly tours Australia, Japan and the US, with recent highlights including a sold-out concert at Carnegie Hall, performances at Concertgebouw Amsterdam, the presentation of the complete Britten cycle at De Bijloke in Ghent and their debut at Shanghai Symphony Hall, which resulted in an immediate invitation to take part in the venue’s Beethoven string quartet cycle. They also return regularly to Wigmore Hall and Snape Maltings, and have appeared at festivals including Aldeburgh, Edinburgh, Grafenegg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, West Cork, Thaxted and Tivoli. This season’s highlights include appearances at Musikverein Vienna, Hamburg’s Elbphilharmonie and four Wigmore Hall recitals.

The quartet often performs repertoire for string quartet and orchestra. This includes Elgar’s Introduction and Allegro and John Adams’ Absolute Jest, which has become a firm part of their repertoire since they gave its Austrian premiere at the Vienna Konzerthaus with Vienna Symphony Orchestra and John Adams. In recent years they have also given the Dutch premiere with Netherlands Radio Philharmonic and performed the work with BBC Scottish Symphony and BBC Symphony Orchestras. Their recording with Royal Scottish National Orchestra and Peter Oundjian, released on Chandos, was named BBC Music Magazine’s Recording of the Month for its ‘sumptuous sweetness and laser-like clarity’.

Having themselves benefitted from coaching by groups including the Hagen, Alban Berg, Artemis and LaSalle Quartets, the group is dedicated to supporting young musicians. They have been Teaching Quartet in Association at the Royal Academy of Music since 2015.

2026/2027
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