Charles Wetherbee, violin I
Amy Galluzzo, violin II
Korine Fujiwara, viola
Carol Ou, cello
Founded in 2005, Carpe Diem String Quartet has become nationally recognised for its innovative and electrifying performances. They are four-time recipients of the prestigious PNC Foundation’s ArtsAlive Awards, the only quartet in America to attain such recognition. Carpe Diem is dedicated to forging a new identity for chamber music by championing the music of living composers, bringing to light overlooked gems of the chamber music repertoire, and undertaking daring, creative projects with other artists and art forms. Carpe Diem has made eight commercial albums which have earned praise from Classical CD Review, Fanfare, American Record Guide, and The Strad, among others. A history of diverse programmatic partnerships with artists such as singer/songwriter Willy Porter, bandoneón player Peter Soave, klezmer clarinettist David Krakauer, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, Chinese pipa player Yihan Chen, and world master of the Persian santoor, Dariush Saghafi, testifies to the expanse of their vision. In addition to presenting two performance series each year, Seize the Music and Free Family Concerts, Carpe Diem has developed outreach programmes that make high-quality arts experiences accessible to diverse audiences regardless of means and circumstance: Music from the Start (serving Head Start centres), Music Goes to School, MusiCare (serving institutional health facilities), Musicare/MusicAccess (serving juveniles in maximum-security facilities), and eStage (free, streaming educational programmes). Carpe Diem is the resident ensemble for Columbus Dance Theatre. Their joint project The String Machine, was aired on WOSU-PBS in 2007–2008 and nominated for an Emmy.
For more information, visit www.carpediemstringquartet.com.