Angela Bae, Violin - Justin DeFilippis, Violin - Benjamin Zannoni, Viola - Russell Houston, Cello
Acclaimed for its vibrant energy and emotional depth, the Balourdet Quartet creates “a world where memory and transformation coexist” (Seen and Heard International). Described as “an ensemble unafraid to show its personality” (The Strad), the Quartet was awarded the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. In 2026 the Balourdet Quartet was named the inaugural fellow of the Resonance String Quartet Fellowship.
Highlights of the 2025–26 season include performances at Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Museum, Boston’s Celebrity Series, the Rockport Music Festival, and La Jolla Music Society. The Balourdet collaborates with leading artists of our time including Yo-Yo Ma, Marc-André Hamelin, James Ehnes, Misha Dichter, Simone Dinnerstein, Zuill Bailey, and the Dover, Pacifica, and Ying Quartets.
Deeply committed to community engagement, the Quartet creates programs that “inspire their creativity” (Seattle Times)—a core part of its mission—through ongoing residencies with the Seattle Chamber Music Society and the Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. Their “infectious spirit” (Chicago Classical Review) resonates with audiences in diverse settings, from breweries to schools.
The Balourdet is also making a “positive impact” (Seattle Times) through its work with Seattle’s Memory Hub, co-designing music-based programming for people living with memory loss. In collaboration with the University of Washington, the Ensemble is conducting research aimed at developing a practical blueprint for arts and health initiatives worldwide.
Collaboration lies at the heart of the Quartet’s work, and its members regularly lead workshops on teamwork and leadership for entrepreneurs, and work with conservatory students and amateur musicians nationwide in activities ranging from masterclasses to interdisciplinary programs where music intersects with topics ranging from art history to business and the sciences.
The Quartet was formed in 2018 at the Taos School of Music, where its members bonded around Chef Antoine Balourdet’s table, inspired by his joie de vivre. They later named the ensemble in tribute to him, honoring the generosity and spirit of friendship he brought to their early days. After forming at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, within just a few years the Balourdet held prestigious graduate residency positions at the New England Conservatory and Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where the ensemble earned top prizes at the Banff, Borciani, and Nielsen International String Quartet Competitions, won the Gold Medal at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, received the Chamber Music Award from the National Federation of Music Clubs, and was honored with Stanford University’s John Lad Prize. In 2021, it received the Grand Prize at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition, which included joint management by Concert Artists Guild in the United States and Young Classical Artists Trust (YCAT) in the United Kingdom and Europe.
“transparent, impeccably balanced sonority propelled by unstinting ebullience, the Balourdet players confidently refreshed the familiar repertory and gave inviting currency to Al-Zand’s clever piece from 2022”
– San Diego Story
“so electrifying was this young, ebullient foursome that anything could be allowed…It was an outward love affair played with love…winning from this most winning ensemble.”
– The Classical Music Network
“teeming with integrity and purpose”
– The Violin Channel
“First-class Beethoven playing…”
– Chicago Classical Review
“Absolute musical perfection… full, robust sound… impeccable balance”
– The Boston Musical Intelligencer
“performed with such exquisitely delightful passion that the whole audience must have been thinking Yes, Yes, YES!”
– The Millbrook Independent
“the Balourdet Quartet poured forth superb sounds with exhilarating hints of Romantic style and passion…”
– Seen and Heard International
Born in Seoul, Korea, Angela Bae is a violinist in the Balourdet Quartet. She began her musical aspirations at the age of three. Angela has appeared as a soloist in venues such as Carnegie Hall, Disney Hall, and Sydney Town Hall, and when she was 16, she became the youngest ever Concertmaster of the American Youth Symphony in LA. She has won awards in Korea and the United States, including the Korea Times Competition, Alexander and Buono International Competition, and Mika Hasler Competition. As a chamber musician, she has performed with artists including Gil Shaham, Kenneth Goldsmith, Geoffrey Nutall, and Alexander Sitkovetsky. Ms. Bae is a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory of Music Professional String Quartet Program where she studied with Donald Weilerstein. She also studied with Paul Kantor at Rice University and Phillip Levy in Los Angeles.
A native of New Jersey, Justin DeFilippis is a violinist in the Balourdet Quartet. He is a graduate of the New England Conservatory, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and Juilliard School Pre-College Division, where his major teachers were Miriam Fried, Nicholas Kitchen, Cho-Liang Lin, Donald Weilerstein, and Elizabeth Chang. He has collaborated alongside artists including the Silkroad Ensemble, Jon Kimura Parker, and Matthew Lipman, as well as members of the Ying and American Quartets.
Benjamin Zannoni, the violist of the Balourdet Quartet, has performed around the world and shared the stage with artists such as Ralph Kirshbaum, Elmar Oliveira, Cho-Liang Lin, Anthony McGill and Marc-André Hamelin. He is a recent graduate from the New England Conservatory and has also received degrees from Rice University, Manhattan School of Music and the Juilliard School, where he studied with Martha Katz, Mai Motobuchi, James Dunham, Karen Dreyfus, Pinchas Zukerman, Patinka Kopec, Heidi Castleman and Robert Vernon. Zannoni is originally from Houston, Texas.
Russell Houston, from Dallas, Texas, is the cellist of the Balourdet Quartet. He is the winner of the Lynn Harrell Concerto Competition and Sorantin International Competition and performed as soloist with orchestras including the Dallas and Plano Symphonies. Houston has had the privilege of sharing the stage with renowned artists such as Clive Greensmith, Cho-Liang Lin, Brinton Smith, and members of the Cleveland and Dover Quartets. He holds degrees from the New England Conservatory, Rice University, Colburn Conservatory, and Northwestern University, where he studied with Paul Katz, Brinton Smith, Clive Greensmith, and Hans Jensen.
Looking Toward the Future
The Balourdet Quartet is a collision of four musicians who activate wonder by creating beautiful art with curiosity and humor. As curators of classical music, they bring deeply human ideas to life in the world we all share—making the profound feel personal and the unfamiliar feel welcoming. Through the chemistry of the unexpected, they make artistic practices accessible to their audiences and inspire a sense of ease. They invite vulnerability in a playful way, creating a relatable and intimate space where people can feel at home.
The quartet formed an LLC in 2023 with a goal to build together not only as an artistic group but also as a business operation. With eyes on building community and many new and exciting projects on the horizon, the quartet is in the process of forming a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization and has recently become an affiliate of InterMusic SF. The Balourdet has recorded two CDs through Phenotypic Recordings (release date TBC) and remains deeply committed to building educational programs and creativity workshops for students of all ages, entrepreneurs, business executives, and music lovers.
(All donations are tax-deductible)
