About this Event
Seating is limited. Reserve your seat in advance to pick where you sit ($6 fee per seat). Join the standby line for remaining seats on the day of the concert, free of charge.
Join us as we welcome back the Shanghai Quartet for the 2025-2026 season!
Over the past forty-two years, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. The Shanghai’s elegant style, impressive technique, and emotional breadth allow the group to move seamlessly between masterpieces of Western music, traditional Chinese folk music, and cutting-edge contemporary works. Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, soon after the end of China’s harrowing Cultural Revolution, the group came to the United States to complete its studies and were based in the U.S. for more than thirty-five years while maintaining a robust touring schedule at leading chamber music series throughout North America, Europe, and Asia.
In September 2020, the Shanghai Quartet moved back to China to join the resident faculty of The Tianjin Juilliard School, becoming one of the only Asian-based internationally touring string quartets. In addition to their teaching duties at Tianjin Juilliard, the Shanghai maintains a busy performance schedule throughout China, serves as the ensemble-in-residence with the Shanghai Symphony Orchestra, and as visiting guest professors at the Shanghai Conservatory and Central Conservatory in Beijing, all while maintaining a robust touring presence in North America and around the world.
The Shanghai Quartet has a long history of championing new music, with a special interest in works that juxtapose the traditions of Eastern and Western music. The Quartet has commissioned works from an encyclopedic list of the most important composers of our time, including William Bolcom, Sebastian Currier, David Del Tredici, Tan Dun, Vivian Fung, Lowell Lieberman, Zhou Long, Marc Neikrug, Krzysztof Penderecki, Bright Sheng, Chen Yi, and Du Yun. The Quartet had a particularly close relationship with the late Krzysztof Penderecki; they premiered his third quartet – Leaves From an Unwritten Diary – at the composer’s 75th birthday concert and repeated it again at both his 80th and 85th birthday celebrations. Forthcoming and recent commissions include new works from Judith Weir, Tan Dun, and Wang Lei.
The Shanghai Quartet proudly enjoys sponsorship from Thomastik-Infeld Strings and BAM Cases. They are currently performing on a set of exquisite Italian antique instruments generously provided by the Beare’s International Violin Society.
The Bill and Mary Meyer Concert Series is generously made possible by the Bill and Mary Meyer Concert Series Endowment. Suntory is the Lead Corporate Sponsor of the 2025-2026 concert series.
Image credit to Erin Baiano.
Event Venue & Nearby Stays
Meyer Auditorium, National Museum of Asian Art, Washington, United States
USD 6.00
