Finalist: Bryant Park Quartet

Based in New York City, the Bryant Park Quartet (Anna Elashvili and Ben Russell, violins; Adam Meyer, viola; Tomoko Fujita, cello) performs the spectrum of the string quartet repertoire to a diverse audience with captivating elegance and unique energetic style. The BPQ has performed as soloists with the Cornell Chamber Orchestra; in recitals at Lincoln Center's Paul Recital Hall, the Des Moines Art Center's Levitt Auditorium, the Staller Center for the Arts Recital Hall at Stony Brook University, Azusa Pacific University's Munson Hall, Biola University's Crowell Hall, and on the South Country Concert Series in Bellport, NY; and in collaboration with the Mark Morris Dance Group at the Saratoga Performing Arts Center in Saratoga Springs, NY. In an effort to reach a uniquely diverse audience, the BPQ has also presented recitals in art galleries; in outdoor concerts at New York City's Bryant Park; in community centers and in private house concerts; and live on KFMG radio in Des Moines, IA.

As the first Ensemble-In-Residence at the Stony Brook University Community Music Program, the BPQ have spearheaded a new initiative to bring a high level of chamber music to Stony Brook's students and community. The BPQ has been invited as teaching artists to give masterclasses, seminars and workshops at Azusa Pacific, Biola, and Cornell Universities, as well as for the Greater Des Moines (IA) and Santa Barbara (CA) Youth Symphonies. Recipient of a 2008 Chamber Music America Residency Partnership grant, the BPQ is engaged in generating excitement for music in schools and communities across the country.