The Blair String Quartet

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Widely acclaimed in performances across the country, the Blair String Quartet has enhanced its national reputation through appearances at the Library of Congress, the Kennedy Center, New York's 92nd Street Y and Merkin Concert Hall. They have been in residence at the Aspen Music Festival. .The quartet has performed widely on National Public Radio and was featured for a number of years on a public television series called “Recital Hall.” The ensemble's recordings of Mendelssohn, Debussy, Ginastera, Harris, Piston, Proto, and Virgil Thomson have been praised internationally by such publications as Gramophone, Stereo Review, and American Record Guide. The quartet is embarked on a recording project of American music with Naxos Records and recorded the Quartets of Charles Ives in the spring of 2004. The Quintet for Banjo and String Quartet, composed for the quartet by Edgar Meyer and Bela Fleck, has been featured nationally on the PBS series, Lonesome Pine Special, and remains in their touring repertoire. The Blair String Quartet is in residence at the Blair School of Music of Vanderbilt University.

Christian Teal-violin -earned his Bachelor of Music degree in performance from Indiana University where he studied with Josef Gingold. His graduate studies were with Dorothy DeLay. Chamber music studies were with members of the Julliard, Hungarian, and Berkshire Quartets, as well as William Primrose, Janos Starker, and Gyorgy Sebok. Recitals and appearances with the orchestra are a regular part of Teal's performing career, including solo engagements with the International Madeira Bach Festival Orchestra, the Richmond Symphony, the Colorado Philharmonic, and the Nashville Symphony Orchestra.

Cornelia Heard, violin, earned her Bachelor and Master of Music degrees at the Julliard School, where she studied with Dorothy DeLay and Robert Mann of the Julliard String Quartet. Other coaches have included Felix Galimir, Earl Carlyss, Samuel Rhodes, Ruth Laredo, Michael Rudiakov, and members of the Cleveland Quartet. Ms. Heard holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Sarah Lawrence College. . She has served as artist-in-residence at both the Aspen Music Festival and the Sedona Music Festival and also on the faculty of the Sewanee Music Festival from 1985-1999. . Ms. Heard has appeared as soloist with the North Carolina Symphony, the Nashville Symphony (as a member of the Blair Quartet), the Municipal Chamber Orchestra in New York, The Vanderbilt Orchestra, and the Aspen Brandenberg Ensemble.

John Kochanowski, violist, studied at the Interlochen Arts Academy and the Julliard School where his principal teachers were Robert Mann and Walter Trampler. He also studied at the Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy, with Bruno Giuranna. From 1971 to 1987, he was the violist and a founding member of the Concord String Quartet. The Concord String Quartet performed more than 1,000 concerts on major chamber music series in the U.S. and Europe. They recorded more than 40 works on RCA-Red Seal, Nonesuch, Vox, Turnabout, and the CRI labels. Kochanowski joined the Blair String Quartet in 1997. In addition to his many appearances with the Quartet, he has been an active performer. As soloist gave the world premiere of Kurek's Sonata for Viola and Piano (2002), which was composed for him. He has appeared as guest artist with the Brentano and Cassatt String Quartets.

Felix Wang, cello, earned a Doctorate of Music from the University of Michigan, a Master of Music from the New England Conservatory, and a Bachelor of Music from the Peabody Conservatory. He has won several competitions, including the National Society of Arts and Letters Cello Competition. Among the judges were Mstislav Rostropovich, Raya Garbousouva, and Lazlo Varga. He has taught at several summer festivals, including the Rocky Mountain Summer Conservatory, the Killington Music Festival, and the Interlochen Center for the Arts. Mr. Wang is also the co-principal cellist of the Iris Chamber Orchestra, under the direction of Michael Stern.