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“The brilliant playing of the Isaura Quartet is a technical triumph, equal to the emotional demands of the music.”
— SEQUENZA 21

“[The music] was felt in the body, in the nerves and sinews, under the ribcage, and in the throat. All this from a remarkable string quartet that extended the syntactical and sonic range of their instruments.”
— JACKI APPLE, FABRIK MAGAZINE

Isaura String Quartet returns to the Dog Star Festival for the first time since 2016, presenting music by Laura Cetilia, inti figgis-vizueta, Sarah Hennies, and Gloria Coates. Inspired by their collaboration with Coates on the west coast premiere of her 9th string quartet, ISQ’s program explores themes of transformation, liberation, and imagining new futures as we want to see them. Coates wrote of her 9th quartet’s final movement, The Cry, that it “suggests heralding of a new world of sound.” Audiences are invited to join ISQ for an evening of musical embodiment through microtonal tuning, improvisatory soundscapes, extended technique, and very many long, slow glissandi.

Isaura String Quartet is a Grammy Award-nominated ensemble based in Los Angeles. Described as “venturesome” and “edgy” in the LA Times, the quartet pushes boundaries while staying true to their mission of promoting contemporary chamber music through live performance, workshops, and collaborative projects with composers and interdisciplinary artists. Founded in 2013, ISQ’s practice is centered around music, community, and developing systems to support and examine the spaces in which they work. The quartet has commissioned 35 new works, prioritizing new pieces through their programming with a focus on workshopping and supporting the work of emerging composers. Isaura String Quartet is Betsy Rettig (she/her), Emily Call (she/her), Laila Zakzook (she/her), and Mads Falcone (they/them). 

Photo by Zeynep Yeldan