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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.
Upcoming 2025-26 Projects include:
Expedition Strings - an educational program to unlock creativity and the exploration of music!
The Complete Chamber Music with String Quartet of Amy Beach - to be recorded and presented around New England
Creativity in Collaboration Workshops - Geared toward business professionals and anyone looking to better their communication and intentions
Commission by Eric Nathan - 15-20 minute string quartet for Balourdet Quartet to premiere during the 2026-27 season
Join us in supporting the creation of these inspiring collaborations and projects!
(All donations are tax-deductible)
EXPEDITION STRINGS!
EXPEDITION STRINGS!
Expedition Strings brings a world class ensemble to a science museum setting in order to share the value of creativity and play in today's world. As a functioning creative consortium, the Balourdet Quartet brings their passion for building a creative ecosystem as well as shaping a culture of play to children and parents alike. Audiences will have the opportunity to participate in an actualized creative experience alongside the quartet and experience a fun filled, entertaining, and artistically engaging performance of some of the world’s leading chamber musicians. Expedition Strings utilizes a wide variety of new and old favorites of the string quartet repertoire to inspire parents and children in a safe space built in the spirit of creativity and wonder. As an established ensemble, families can experience the four musicians of the Balourdet Quartet bringing each of their creative minds into building one breathing organism through a shared musical language.
Amy Beach
Amy Beach’s tale is one of American individualism- through music she transcended cultural boundaries and is a (underrepresented) fixture of America’s musical identity. Arguably America’s most influential female composer and a maverick way ahead of her time, our album of her complete works involving string quartet spans four dramatically different periods of her chamber music, highlighting a distinctively poetic voice with an eclectic range of style and influence. It is our mission to be the first established string quartet to record all of these works to be highlighted in a single album, spanning the Piano Quintet, the Flute Quintet, the String Quartet in One Movement, and the timeless Romance in an original arrangement.
Romance for Violin and Piano, Op. 23 arr. Balourdet Quartet (1893)
Piano Quintet in F-sharp minor, Op. 67 (1907)
Theme and Variations for String Quartet and Flute, Op. 80 (1916)
String Quartet in One Movement, Op. 89 (1921-29)
Creativity in Collaboration Workshops
The Balourdet Quartet has been on an artistic journey for over six years, and our growth has come not just through music, but through deep personal transformation and self-discovery. Our approach to rehearsing and music-making is centered on creating an environment where creativity flourishes—where there are no right or wrong answers, just exploration. This space requires vulnerability, trust, and a deep understanding of the “Why” behind our passion.
We believe students who already have powerful tools for strategies and goals as entrepreneurs can benefit from this artistic process by learning how to foster creativity and adaptability in their own teams. Our workshop will provide a reflective space for participants to connect with their own motivations, cultivate curiosity, and explore new ways of building strong, sustainable teams.
Eric Nathan
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Eric Nathan ⋆
The new composition, tentatively titled “Beyond Waves,” will be inspired by the sea. Nathan, who grew up by the sea, is captivated by its vastness, range of moods and inherent dualities. The sea brings both destruction and new life as well as an uncertainty of the unknown paired with the rhythmic certainty of the tide. It separates societies from each other and connects them. It is a home and a path to new beginnings. It encapsulates such strength, gracefulness, madness and beauty. The new composition will encompass many of these qualities it evokes the sea and uses it as a metaphor to speak about life and society.
