Chamber music
Below, we invite you to learn more about our faculty and graduate student chamber music ensembles in residence at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music!
Takács Quartet
In the 2026-2027 season the world-renowned Takács Quartet welcomes new cellist Mihai Marica. The ensemble that comprises Edward Dusinberre, Harumi Rhodes (violins) and Richard O’Neill (viola), are excited about varied projects that include a recording project of works by Gabriela Lena Frank and a tour of César Franck’s piano quintet with Jeremy Denk. For Hyperion Records the Takács will release an album of two Mozart viola quintets with violist Timothy Ridout.
The Takács maintains a busy international touring schedule. As Associate Artists at London’s Wigmore Hall, the group will play four concerts that include performances with pianist Steven Osbourne and works by Haydn, Schubert, Carlos Simon, Gabriela Lena Frank, Mendelssohn, and Brahms. During the season the ensemble will play at other prestigious European centers including the Konzerthaus Vienna, Vilnius, Bergen, and Utrecht.
The group’s North American engagements include concerts in New York at Carnegie Hall and for the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, University of Chicago, Pittsburgh, Santa Monica, Vancouver, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Berkeley, Ann Arbor, Portland, and at the University of Maryland where the quartet continues its position as Visiting Artists. The quartet will become Official Chamber Music Ensemble at the Segerstrom Center.
The members of theTakács are Artists in Residence at the University of Colorado and during the summer months join the faculty at the Music Academy of the West, running an intensive quartet seminar there. MORE
Graduate chamber music ensembles
Astrodon Quartet
Graduate String Quartet in Residence
The Astrodon Quartet brings together four exceptional musicians dedicated to the art of the string quartet. Unified by their devotion to their craft and their commitment to community service, they strive to bring the highest quality of musical performance and education to communities of every socioeconomic status.
Named for the first dinosaur discovered in their home state of Maryland, the group shares a love for the city of Baltimore almost as deep as their love for the string quartet repertoire. Individually, Astrodon’s musicians represent three states and two countries; but Baltimore is the city which has nurtured their growth as a unit. Its spirit of cooperation, determination, and creativity has inspired them in every moment of their journey, from the local organizations they visit to the students they teach to the three community gardens in their neighborhood.
In performance, the group has been described as “captivating,” “moving,” and “unbelievably beautiful.” Their emotional depth, spontaneity, and gift for audience engagement has created meaningful experiences for audiences of many walks of life across Baltimore and Washington D.C. They believe their role as musicians is not just to entertain or to weave a masterful story, but to create moments of true connection between people, and they carry this principle into their work as both performers and educators. MORE
The Tonic Winds
Graduate Woodwind Quintet in Residence
The Tonic Winds, the graduate woodwind quintet in residence at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music, is united by commitments to education, artistry and musical outreach. The ensemble—holding a shared value in celebration of voices, community and connection—features musicians from South America, Alaska and a few of the lower 48 states. The quintet members serve as teaching assistants and mentors to the CU Boulder College of Music's vibrant applied studios and perform two recitals each year, as well as outreach programs in the Boulder community and beyond—including an educational residency with the Aspen Music Festival and School. Tonic Winds—comprising flutist Alex Westervelt, oboist Lauren Breen, clarinetist Harold Gómez-Montoya, hornist Sophie Steger and bassoonist Ben Mangonon—are coached this semester by Professor of Flute Christina Jennings and other woodwind faculty.
Ensemble Flatirons
Graduate Brass Quintet in Residence
Ensemble Flatirons is the Graduate Brass Quintet in Residence at the University of Colorado Boulder College of Music. Quintet members—coached by Professor of Horn Michael Thornton—are all DMA candidates hailing from California, Hawaii, Montana, Texas and Wisconsin. Ensemble Flatirons regularly performs a variety of music at the College of Music and throughout the greater Boulder/Denver area.