Esmé means “beloved” in medieval French, and the Esmé Quartet is certainly beloved by Center chamber music fans. It makes its third appearance in Samueli Theater in October.

The Esmé was formed in 2016 by four Korean female musicians who were studying at the Cologne University of Music in Cologne, Germany. The members were already long-time friends in Korea when they moved to Europe and had much in common, including a passion for music. Within two years, the Esmé had won first prize and four special prizes at the renowned Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London. They followed that with more competition wins and concert appearances around the world.

In March of last year the violist for the ensemble left and was replaced by Belgian-American Dimitri Murrah. He has won the prestigious Primrose International Viola Contest and received an Avery Fisher Career Grant. The group posted on social media, “From the very first rehearsal we felt such a deep musical connection that we were so happy to share our music together on stage with him.”

Recent reviews confirm that the change in personnel did not show a dip in the group’s harmonizing sound. At a concert earlier this year, a review in stagewhispers.com said, “The artists of the Esmé Quartet display a strong connection, a palpable camaraderie which only augments their superior technical prowess … their artistry is sublime.” 

“Eloquent, spellbinding, monumental, and exquisite,” says musicalviva.com at a recent concert. “The Esmé Quartet has been waking up the world with their exciting and insightful performances.”

For its Center appearance, the group will mix pieces by Mendelssohn and Schumann with two works by Asian composers. One will be “Spring,” from Kui Dong’s The Seasons. She calls it an homage to John Cage and Antonio Vivaldi, who both wrote pieces inspired by the seasons. Dong grew up in China before moving to the United States 30 years ago to attend Stanford University. She composed music that mixed her Chinese and American musical influences, which is heard in The Seasons. Dong’s music has been described by numerous publications as “beautiful, haunting and thought provoking,” “ceaselessly compelling,” and having “21st century sensibilities.” Among her many honors she is a 2024 Guggenheim Fellow.

The program will also include Infinite Season by Juri Seo, a Korean-American composer and pianist. Her compositions have won numerous awards and she has no shortage of commissions. Seo’s music merges fascinating aspects of music from the past century, exploring both serious and humorous, the tranquil and the obsessive. 

“Infinite Season aims to depict the story of a year unfolding, the four movements tracing the sounds of nature as the seasons change,” says thewholenote.com. “There’s a lovely use of harmonics again, together with field recordings of birdsong and insect noises.” 

Whatever the Esmé is playing is simply magnificent. The ensemble certainly lives up to its name.  

Samueli Theater
October 24