Fresh from winning the Grand Prize at the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition, and just three years after forming, the Poiesis Quartet (violinists Sarah Ying Ma and Max Ball, violist Jasper de Boor, and cellist Drew Dansby) begins its season as the 2025-2026 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts, giving the first concert of the residency as part of the Rosen House Concert Series on Sunday, November 16, 2025 at 3pm.
Caramoor is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration. Its Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence program was founded in 1999, and annually supports an exceptional emerging string quartet. The year-long residency includes three performances at Caramoor and two 10-day periods (November 11-21, 2025 and April 27-May 5, 2026) in which the Quartet works with students in local schools. One thousand students will benefit from engagements in 11 schools across Westchester County. The Quartet-in-Residence program extends access to the arts for high school students by providing one-to-one mentoring with professional musicians, giving students insight into pursuing a career in the arts. Caramoor also commissions a new work by a composer of the Quartet’s choosing – the Poiesis Quartet will premiere the new piece written for the group at Caramoor in summer 2026.
Formed in 2022 at Oberlin, the Poiesis Quartet (pronounced poy-EE-suhss), has swiftly risen to prominence. In addition to being the Grand Prize winners of the 2025 Banff International String Quartet, the ensemble is also the winner of the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Renowned for their cohesive artistry and adventurous programming, the group lives up to its name – poiesis, from the Greek “to make” – with performances that forge new paths in chamber music. Dedicated to championing the voices of emerging and historically underrepresented composers, the Poiesis Quartet brings this vibrant mission to life in their Caramoor residency.
The Poiesis Quartet’s program for its November 16 concert, titled Surfacing, is an exploration of the raw, human responses to existential and life-altering events. Incorporating musical influences as varied as electronic dance music, East Asian folk tunes, R&B, jazz, gospel, and traditional spirituals, four composers take us on a journey through phases of healing and growth, ultimately surfacing from confusion and pain with resilience and a renewed sense of hope. The concert includes String Quartet by Brian Raphael Nabors (2024); String Quartet No. 3 (2014) and String Quartet No. 7, “Surfacing” (2024) by Kevin Lau (commissioned by the Poiesis Quartet); Many Many Cadences by Sky Macklay (2015); Calvary, an African-American spiritual arranged for violin quartet by Max Ball; and String Quartet No. 1, Calvary by Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson (1956). Tickets are free for audience members ages 18 and under.
The Poiesis Quartet’s second performance as part of the Rosen House Concert Series takes place on Sunday, May 3, 2026 at 3pm, and includes Michi Wiancko’s To Unpathed Waters, Undreamed Shores (2020); Eleanor Alberga’s String Quartet No. 2 (1994); and Béla Bartók’s String Quartet No. 5 (1934). Tickets are free for audience members ages 18 and under.
In addition to the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence program, as part of its ongoing commitment to mentorship for young musicians Caramoor offers the Evnin Rising Stars program, which has nurtured emerging talent since 1992. Each year, the program’s Artistic Director Marcy Rosen identifies some of the most promising musicians at the cusp of professional careers, bringing them to Caramoor for a weeklong chamber music residency with distinguished artist mentors. This year’s mentors are violinist Ani Kavafian and violist Rebecca Albers. The 2025 Evnin Rising Stars are violinists Isabelle Ai Durrenberger, Clara Neubauer, and Cherry Choi Tung Yeung; violists Samuel Rosenthal and Luther Warren; cellists Annie Jacobs-Perkins and Leland Ko; and pianist Evren Ozel. The Evnin Rising Stars will give two Rosen House Concert Series performances on Saturday, November 1, 2025 at 3pm (featuring
music by Boccherini, Ginastera, and Brahms) and Sunday, November 2, 2025 at 3pm (featuring music by Mozart, Shostakovich, and Dvořák). Tickets are free for audience members ages 18 and under.
About Caramoor
Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts is a vibrant cultural destination nestled on 81 acres of historic gardens and woodlands in Katonah, NY. Once the home of music and art lovers Walter and Lucie Rosen, Caramoor has evolved into one of the region’s most distinctive destinations for live performances, cultural engagement, and exploration – a sanctuary for music, art, and nature.
Each year, Caramoor presents an exciting array of concerts across genres – from classical, opera, and chamber music to jazz, American roots, global sounds, and the American songbook. Caramoor’s acclaimed Summer Season brings audiences together for unforgettable outdoor performances from June into August in five distinct settings (the Music Room, Venetian Theater, Spanish Courtyard, Friends Field, and the Sunken Garden), while the intimate Rosen House Concert Series runs from October through May in the historic Rosen House, a Mediterranean-style villa listed on the National Register of Historic Places and filled with treasures from around the world. With a mission to engage audiences of all ages, Caramoor also offers a selection of concerts and programs for families and our youngest listeners.
Caramoor is a place where music, history, and nature come together to create moments of beauty and connection for all who visit. In addition to hearing concerts, visitors to Caramoor can tour the spectacular Rosen House, explore its intriguing collections, enjoy a picnic, and experience the lush gardens and grounds – including Caramoor’s unique collection of site-specific Sound Art, permanently installed sound sculptures which draw inspiration from their environment. Caramoor also offers a formal afternoon tea service year-round in the Music Room (by reservation), a seasonal concessions tent, and a selection of public programs such as yoga, art classes, and large-scale community events.
At-a-Glance Calendar: Upcoming Rosen House Concert Series Performances
Saturday, November 1 at 3pm: Evnin Rising Stars
Sunday, November 2 at 3pm: Evnin Rising Stars
Friday, November 7 at 7:30pm: Christie Dashiell Quartet
Sunday, November 9 at 3pm: The English Concert
Sunday, November 16 at 3pm: Poiesis Quartet
Friday, November 21 at 7:30pm: The Arcadian Wild
Saturday, December 6 at 8pm: Rosanne Cash – Benefit Concert
Sunday, December 7 at 3pm: An Amarcord Christmas
Sunday, March 8 at 3pm: Schwab Vocal Rising Stars
Friday, March 20 at 7:30pm: Goitse
Sunday, March 22 at 3pm: Víkingur Ólafsson, piano
Sunday, April 12 at 3pm: Junction Trio
Sunday, April 19 at 3pm: Steven Isserlis, cello & Connie Shih, piano
Friday, May 1 at 7:30pm: Anat Cohen Quartethinho
Sunday, May 3 at 3pm: Poiesis Quartet
Friday, May 8 at 7:30pm: Solomon Hicks
For Caramoor’s complete schedule: caramoor.org/events
Ticketing Information
Concert tickets are available for purchase online at caramoor.orgTuesdays through Fridays from 10am-4pm; and on site from the Box Office two hours before each performance.
Caramoor is located at 149 Girdle Ridge Road in Katonah, NY.