Our Story

The Parker Quartet was founded on the strength of friendship and a shared dedication to the art of chamber music. Although we officially came together as undergraduates at the New England Conservatory in 2002, the ensemble’s roots were planted earlier—at summer festivals where we played together in various configurations. These festivals, with their immersive, focused environments, became formative spaces: places where time seemed to pause, and where the combination of music, camaraderie, and rigorous exploration brought us together. That spirit of connection and curiosity remains a guiding force in our work today.

Our time as students was rich with discovery, shaped by exceptional mentorship. Whether at NEC, in international summer programs, or during our training with ProQuartet in France, we were fortunate to learn from artists who exemplified both musical excellence and a profound commitment to the string quartet tradition. Influences from members of the Cleveland, Takács, Juilliard, Tokyo, Hagen, Alban Berg, and Artemis Quartets—as well as from renowned pedagogues like Kim Kashkashian and Lucy Chapman—have left a lasting imprint on our playing and teaching. Their example informs our work with the next generation of musicians in our roles at Harvard University, the University of South Carolina, the Walnut Hill School for the Arts, and beyond.

In the early years of our career, following our win at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, we embarked on extensive international touring. Performances throughout Europe, and later in Asia and South America, exposed us to a wide range of musical traditions, acoustic environments, and cultural perspectives. These experiences deeply shaped our interpretive approach, refining not only our sound but also our awareness of spatial and interpersonal dynamics in performance.

Our commitment to adventurous repertoire led us to record the complete string quartets of György Ligeti in 2009—a project that challenged us artistically and expanded our ensemble's expressive range. Though we undertook the recording with no expectation of recognition, the album ultimately received the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance, affirming our belief in the value of risk-taking and deep artistic inquiry.

Now in our third decade as a quartet, we continue to develop programs and collaborations that are intellectually engaging, emotionally resonant, and artistically vital. Alongside the milestones of our personal lives—marriages, children, and continued individual growth—the quartet has remained our artistic home: a space of ongoing dialogue, refinement, and renewal.

To us, a musical home is defined by trust, shaped by legacy, and sustained by a shared commitment to discovery. That ethos continues to inspire our work, both onstage and off.

Full Biography

Daniel Chong, violin | Ken Hamao, violin | Jessica Bodner, viola | Kee-Hyun Kim, cello

Internationally recognized for their “fearless, yet probingly beautiful” performances (The Strad), the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has established itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation since its founding in 2002. Renowned for their fresh interpretations of canonical works and their passionate advocacy for contemporary music, the Quartet continues to chart a dynamic artistic path rooted in both tradition and innovation.

Praised by Gramophone for playing in which “virtuosity and emotion are one,” the Parker Quartet has performed for over two decades on many of the world’s leading stages. Recent seasons have included appearances at Carnegie Hall, Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, the University of Chicago, the 92nd Street Y, among others. The Quartet has also been featured at major festivals such as Tanglewood, Big Ears, Norfolk, Lake Champlain, Bridgehampton, Skaneateles, San Miguel de Allende, and the Banff Centre. 

Highlights of the upcoming 2026–27 season include appearances at DACAMERA of Houston and collaborations with Charles Neidich at The Phillips Collection and the Clark Library at UCLA, with whom the Quartet recently recorded their latest album of Brahms’s Quartet No. 3 and Clarinet Quintet (to be released in 2028). 

Bold programming and cross-disciplinary initiatives are hallmarks of the Quartet’s artistic identity. To mark their 20th anniversary in 2022–23, the ensemble launched The Beethoven Project, pairing the complete Beethoven quartet cycle with commissioned encores from five contemporary composers, community concerts in non-traditional venues across Boston, and Beethoven: Illuminated—an acclaimed 19-episode educational video series.

Building on this momentum, the Quartet turned to The Schubert Project for the 2025–26 season, delving into the composer’s late quartets and the monumental Cello Quintet alongside guest cellists Jay Campbell, Raman Ramakrishnan, and Paul Watkins. Mirroring their digital Beethoven initiative, the ensemble paired the season with Schubert: Illuminated, a four-part video series exploring his final quartets. Both Illuminated series can be found on the Quartet’s YouTube channel.

Deeply committed to the music of our time, the Quartet regularly commissions works by leading contemporary voices. Recent commissioned premieres include Suzanne Farrin’s SEA-DRIFT (2026) and Anthony Cheung’s the field remembers (2024) for quartet and mezzo-soprano, featuring the poetry of Guggenheim Fellow Victoria Chang and United States Poet Laureate Arthur Sze. Other notable commissions include works by Augusta Read Thomas, Felipe Lara, Jaehyuck Choi, Zosha Di Castri, Paul Wiancko, Wang Lu, Michi Wiancko, Sky Macklay, and Jeremy Gill. As part of Miller Theatre’s Mission: Commission podcast, they recorded new works by Kate Soper, Oscar Bettison, and Vijay Iyer—celebrating the creative process and contemporary collaboration.

Their artistic partnerships span a wide range of disciplines and genres. Past collaborators include pianists Menahem Pressler, Anne-Marie McDermott, Orion Weiss, Shai Wosner, Billy Childs, and Vijay Iyer; clarinetists and composers Jörg Widmann, Anthony McGill, and Charles Neidich; flutist Claire Chase; violist Kim Kashkashian; and mezzo-soprano Fleur Barron. The Quartet is also a proud supporter of Kashkashian’s Music for Food initiative, performing in concerts nationwide to benefit food banks and social service organizations.

Recording remains a central component of the Quartet’s artistic output. Their 2021 ECM release, featuring Dvořák’s Viola Quintet with Kim Kashkashian alongside works by György Kurtág, was described by The Strad as “nothing short of astonishing,” and by Gramophone as “defined by virtuosity so agile that it’s indistinguishable from the process of emotional expression.” Their 2019 recording of three Beethoven quartets (Monte Carlo’s Festival Printemps des Arts) earned accolades from Diapason for its “fearlessness, exceptional control, and attention to detail.” Additional recordings include Mendelssohn on Nimbus Records, Bartók on Zig-Zag Territoires, and the complete Ligeti Quartets on Naxos—a performance that garnered the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance.

The Parker Quartet currently serves as Professors of the Practice and Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at the Department of Music at Harvard University. They also hold visiting residencies at the University of South Carolina and the Walnut Hill School for the Arts.

Founded and based in Boston, the Quartet’s numerous honors include winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award.

September 2026 - Please do not edit without permission