The Colburn School Celebrates Double Win at Fischoff Competition

String quartets from the Colburn School Conservatory of Music triumphed at the 2011 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition- earning three of the competition's coveted prizes. The Calidore String Quartet, surpassed 47 other elite ensembles from around the world to capture the competition's Grand Prize. In the Senior String Division, the Calidore Quartet also won the Gold Medal and the Persinger Quartet, won the Barbara Shields Byrum Bronze Medal.

Colburn President and CEO Sel Kardan: "We are delighted that two of our quartets have done so well in this internationally acclaimed competition. Their success is a true credit to our faculty and everyone's hard work at our flourishing young conservatory in downtown Los Angeles. We have just graduated 34 students from our conservatory, who are going on to some of the most prestigious jobs in music today and more than 80 students from our community school, who have already have an impressive professional and collegiate future ahead of them. "

The Calidore String Quartet joins a growing list of prize-winning Colburn students and alumni, including the Calder Quartet, who won the 2005 Fischoff Grand Prize. The Calder Quartet went on to a successful and varied career, which includes collaborations with contemporary composers Terry Riley, Christopher Rouse and Thomas Ades and crossover projects with Andrew W.K. and Vampire Weekend.

Founded in 1973, the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition has grown to become the largest chamber music competition in the world and one of the most prestigious classical music prizes attainable today. As the competition's top winner the Calidore Quartet will participate in a Winner's Tour of the Midwestern United States this October and will perform several concerts at the venerated 2012 Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy.

The Calidore String Quartet (pronounced Cali-door) is: Jeffrey Myers (violin), Pasha Tseitlin (violin), Jeremy Berry (viola) and Estelle Choi (cello). Members of the Persinger Quartet (pronounced Per-sing-ger) are: Stephen Tavani (violin), Ryan Meehan (violin), AriAnna Smith (viola) and Allan Steele (cello). All currently study at The Colburn School's Conservatory of Music which was founded in 2003.

About The Colburn School

The Colburn School, founded in 1950, is a world-class performing arts school located in the heart of downtown Los Angeles, neighboring the Walt Disney Concert Hall, the Music Center, the Museum of Contemporary Art and the planned Broad Museum. Our acclaimed faculty provides students with the highest quality performing arts education with a multitude of performance opportunities in a state-of-the-art facility. More than 2000 students attend classes in our four schools-- the Conservatory of Music, the School of Performing Arts, the Trudl Zipper Dance Institute, and the Academy .

Colburn students from all the divisions perform more than 300 free public concerts and recitals each year and engage in extensive outreach initiatives in LAUSD schools. For more information about The Colburn School and its programs, visit our website at www.colburnschool.edu.