Graduate Fellowship Ensembles

School of Music

Abeo Quartet: Felix Mendelssohn | String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13

Abeo Quartet: Felix Mendelssohn | String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13: youtube.com/watch?v=ZxJfZQW0Jb8

Graduate Fellowship Ensembles

School of Music graduate fellowship ensembles offer a focused, collaborative chamber music experience. Fellows receive competitive funding including a generous stipend. Each fellowship ensemble is mentored throughout their studies at University of Delaware.

Fellowship ensembles combine individual musical virtuosity with the shared spirit of ensemble playing, building flexibility, teamwork, leadership, communication, and entrepreneurial skills for students. Additionally, students engage in a wide variety of professional development and community engagement initiatives, including outreach tours throughout the Mid-Atlantic, recording projects, and commissioning projects.

University of Delaware School of Music is proud to share the following successful outcomes of our four fellowship ensembles since the program’s initiation in Fall 2019.

2024 – Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Chamber Music Competition – Third Place
2024 – St. Paul International String Quartet Competition – Finalist
2024 – Encore Chamber Music Festival - Cleveland, OH – Invited
2024 – Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention – Invited Performers
2024 – MTNA Chamber Music Competition – Finalist
2023 – Concert Artists Guild – 1st prize
2023 – Bad Tölz International String Quartet Competition (Germany) – 3rd prize
2023 – Mid-Atlantic Flute Convention – Invited Performers
2023 – Young Concert Artists Auditions – Finalist
2022 – New Jersey Music Educators Association State Conference – Invited Performers
2022 – Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition – 2nd prize
2022 – Young Concert Artists Auditions – Finalist
2021 – Percussive Arts Society International Convention, Chamber Music Competition – First Place

Prometheus Quartet

Formed in the fall of 2023 at The Juilliard School, the Prometheus Quartet is a New York City-based string quartet inspired by the myth of Prometheus, striving to bring the gift of music to others. Just as Prometheus stole fire from the gods to gift to humanity, we aim to bring meaningful forms of connection to our audiences through performances of the beloved string quartet canon and undiscovered gems.

The quartet's current iteration formed after discovering an immediate bond while working on Korngold’s Piano Quintet in E Major in the 2024 Juilliard ChamberFest. Since then, the quartet coached intensively with Merry Peckham and was a Gluck Fellowship ensemble for the 2024-2025 school year. While at Juilliard, the quartet was coached by legendary cellist and chamber musician Joel Krosnick, Joseph Lin, Natasha Brofsky, and Catherine Cho. The quartet is currently the Graduate String Quartet in Residence at the University of Delaware where they are mentored by the Calidore String Quartet.

Additionally, the quartet has coached with members of Quatuor Ébène, the Alban Berg Quartet, the Jerusalem Quartet, Marc Danel, Timothy Eddy, André Roy, and appeared in masterclasses at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

Festival appearances include being named the inaugural Emerging Artist String Quartet of Music Academy of the West in Santa Barbara, California, where they studied under the Takács Quartet, an educational residency at the Chamber Music Society of Fort Worth, the Schiermonnikoog Festival in the Netherlands, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy. Furthermore, the quartet were recently invited to compete in the 2025 Schoenfeld International String Competition and also took part in the Fischoff Competition.

Dedicated to innovation in the concert scene, the quartet also recently performed in “The Mad King,” a collaboration between Carnegie Hall and Juilliard’s “New Series” curated by music division dean David Ludwig. For this program, the quartet performed Schoenberg's Ode to Napoleon Buonaparte, Op. 41, in a multimedia setting alongside guest pianist Baron Fenwick and actress Ana Karneža. The quartet has also worked closely with Juilliard Arnhold Creative Associate, flutist Claire Chase, as part of her project Density 2036. Rated as one of New York Classical Review Critic’s Choice 2024-25 performances, the quartet premiered a new version of Terry Riley’s “Holy Liftoff” for string quartet, flute and electronic tape for Juilliard’s Fall Festival.

Upcoming concerts include performances at the Music Academy of the West’s Mariposa Series, Chesapeake Music, the University of Delaware, and in Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s Inside Chamber Music series with Bruce Adolphe.

The quartet members individually attained their Bachelors degrees from Mannes School of Music, the New England Conservatory, the Peabody Institute, and the Eastman School of Music before forming at Juilliard.

Prometheus Quartet

Tempest Brass Quintet

The Graduate Brass Quintet is the premier brass quintet at The University of Delaware. Made up of all performance graduate students, the group seeks to perform a diverse range of music from classical Renaissance music to modern popular music. The Brass Quintet also prides itself on its ability to adapt while maintaining the highest level of performance.

Tempest Brass Quintet

Graduate Percussion Group

Graduate Percussion Ensemble group photo

The award winning Graduate Percussion Group is a fully funded fellowship program. Each member is awarded a fellowship for their studies at UD by co-directing and performing in this ensemble. Coached and mentored by the faculty ensemble in residence (Quey Percussion Duo), the Graduate Percussion Group is actively engaged in artistic creativity on a daily basis through rehearsing, performing, and administration of a self-sustaining ensemble that straddles the line between collegiate and professional performing experiences.

The Graduate Percussion Group presents regular programs throughout the year in addition to numerous projects related to audio recording, video production, outreach, recruiting, competitions, and composer-performer experiences. Graduate Percussion Group members also often perform side-by-side with guest and faculty artists.In addition to performances, as a self-sustaining ensemble, each student will assume administrative roles to guarantee the success of the ensemble such as scheduling, programming, recruiting, outreach, marketing and promotion, and social media management to name a few.

Graduate Percussion Group

Easterlies Graduate Wind Quintet

The Easterlies are the graduate woodwind quintet in residence at the University of Delaware School of Music. Their name is inspired by easterly winds in weather and climate—winds that originate in the east and blow elsewhere. They drew this unique parallel from their unification and inevitable growth in a commonly ‘east’ location to their members. Relating their wind quintet name to a literal category of wind felt fitting.

The Easterlies have been accepted as one of 7 chamber music groups across the country to compete at the 2024 Music Teachers National Association Chamber Music Wind Competition in Atlanta, GA, and were also selected to perform in the 2024 Mid Atlantic Flute Convention in Herndon, VA. Additionally, as a part of their educational outreach initiative, they partner up with local high schools in the area to teach young musicians about chamber music.