Fine Arts Quartet

Formed in Chicago in 1946, the Fine Arts Quartet rank within the finest interpreters of classical violin works with more than 200 recordings and recitals that have won them an international reputation. The current line-up features violinists Ralph Evans and Efim Boico, who have performed together for more than 35 years, violist Juan-Miguel Hernandez and cellist Robert Cohen. The earliest formation grew out of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 1939 with violinists Leonard Sorkin and Ben Senescu, violist Sheppard Lehnhoff and cellist George Sopkin but due to the outbreak of World War II, they did not launch until 1946 when Joseph Stepansky stepped in for Senescu. National radio performances and appearances on primetime network television shows such as Ed Sullivan's led to widespread popularity and by the late 1970s the foursome had performed in around 270 venues in 28 nations. They recorded the classic violin cycles by composers such as Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Mendelssohn and Brahms but also commissioned and promoted works by contemporary composers including Bloch, Babbitt, Wuorinen and Shifrin. They gave premiers to a great many works including Shostakovich's 'Quartet Number Three' and quartets by Bartó, Dvorak and Debussy. Box sets include 'Bartók: Complete String Quartets' (2013), 'Beethoven: The Middle Quartets' (1999), 'The Fine Arts Quartet at WFMT' (2013) and 'Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18' (2011).

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