Balourdet Quartet - Special Once Upon An Alphabet

We are thrilled to be hosting the incredible Balourdet Quartet this year!

The quartet will be joining us for a very special edition of Once Upon an Alphabet.  We will start off with storytime followed by crafts and activities with your family, all while you enjoy the amazing sounds and talent of the quartet.

With special thanks to; Angela Bae, Violin - Justin DeFilippis, Violin - Benjamin Zannoni, Viola - Russell Houston, Cello.

The Balourdet Quartet’s journey began in 2018 in the mountains of New Mexico at the Taos School of Music, where violinists Justin DeFilippis, Angela Bae, and cellist Russell Houston first bonded as friends over long evenings of chamber music, luxurious Peppermint Schnapps and extravagant meals created by chef extraordinaire Antoine Balourdet, a renaissance man with an exceptional love of life and music. It was the friendships, a shared passion for music and food, and gratitude for the role the festival played in the formation of the quartet, that inspired the members to name the ensemble in Chef Balourdet’s honor. 

Soon thereafter, in the heat of a waning Texas summer, Justin, Angela, and Russell joined with violist Benjamin Zannoni at Rice University, and the Balourdet Quartet was formed. Inspired by their love for the repertoire and the excitement of having found each other, the four friends found themselves playing quartets late into the night for fun. 

After having been together for only one year at Rice University, and a summer at the Aspen Music Festival, they took second prize at the Nielsen International String Quartet Competition. In 2022 the quartet came to Banff and won third prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). Since winning BISQC the quartet has earned the Avery Fisher Career Grant and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. The quartet’s 2023-24 season, brings a full year of concerts, residencies, and exciting projects.