Shanghai Quartet

The Shanghai Quartet is a string quartet that formed in 1983. The quartet is made up of four members: first violinist Weigang Li, second violinist Yi-Wen Jiang, violist Honggang Li, and cellist Nicholas Tzavaras. The group’s tours have included North America, South America, Japan, China, Australia, New Zealand, and Europe. 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.

The group was formed in 1983 at the Shanghai Conservatory in China. In 1984 the quartet was selected by the Ministry of Culture (China) to compete at the Portsmouth International Quartet Competition in England where they won 2nd prize. The group then left China in 1985 to study at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet until 1987. The Shanghai Quartet made its New York debut in 1987 at Town Hall. In 1989 they became the quartet-in-residence at the University of Richmond. In 2003 the quartet became Distinguished Visiting Artists of the school’s Modlin Center for the Arts, giving concerts during the Great Performances season from September to May. They then were established as artists-in-residency at the John J. Cali School of Music at Montclair State University in New Jersey where they are currently located. The four members are also visiting guest professors at the Shanghai Conservatory and Central Conservatory of Music in China where they share in master-classes what they have learned in America.

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