Shanghai Quartet Shanghai Quartet

The Shanghai Quartet is a string quartet that formed in 1983. The quartet is made up of four members: first violinist Li Weigang, second violinist Jiang Yi-Wen, violist Li Honggang, and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras. After over 20-year experience, it has become one of the most outstanding quartets around the world.

Shanghai Quartet

1. First Violin: Li Weigang
2. Second Violin: Jiang Yiwen
3. Viola: Li Honggang
4. Cello: Nicholas Tzavaras 

The group's tours have included North America, South America, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. They have appeared frequently at New York's Carnegie Hall, and their travels have taken them from London, Vienna and Prague, to Australia's Sydney Opera House. Among their performances, the Shanghai Quartet has developed a long list of performance collaborators including Yo-Yo Ma, David Soyer, Eugenia Zukerman, Sharon Isbin, Ruth Laredo, Arnold Steinhardt, and Chanticleer. Its vast repertory covers many works by Asian-born composers like Bright Sheng, Toru Takemitsu, Zhou Long, Wang Jienhong, Xue Cheng-Qian, and Zhang Jing-Ping, as well as a mixture of 20^th century works by composers like Tippett, Maxwell Davies, Reich, Roberto Sierra, Penderecki, Hovhaness, Ginastera, and jazz artist Dick Hyman. But it has also embraced much of the standard repertory, playing large chunks of the outputs of J.S. Bach and Beethoven and works by Mendelssohn, Brahms, Dvorák, Ravel, and many others. The Shanghai Quartet's concert schedule typically includes a geographical mixture of locales across Asia, Europe, the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand. It has made more than 20 recordings for a variety of labels, including Delos, BIS, Camerata Records, and New Albion. One of the ensemble's best-selling CDs was the 2002 Delos title Chinasong, a collection of Chinese folk songs arranged by second violinist Jiang Yi-Wen.

The Quartet is the 'Ensemble-in-Residence' at Montclair State University. They also serve as visiting professors at the Shanghai Conservatory and the Central Conservatory in China.

The Quartet has made more than 20 recordings for a variety of labels, including Delos, BIS, Camerata Records, and New Albion.