"The Calder Quartet’s musical performance was as near to perfect as any that I have heard. Kudos to Chico Performances for bringing this mesmerizing, world-class string quartet to a local stage."

"Exquisitely shaped playing and bold musicianship in a compelling, haunting disc."

"The precise and to-the-point Calders, who have developed a relationship with Eötvös (they are working on a project for 2016 in Paris), brought it off brilliantly."

"The rich ensemble sound and razor-crisp playing made for a cool, jewel-like performance." Read More...

"The Calder Quartet’s performance was lucid and engaging, sometimes fiery and diabolic, and at other times dreamy and impressionistic. Performing this kaleidoscopic piece alongside the variety of other works on the program demonstrated the Calder’s mastery and versatility.

"Clearly the Calder Quartet were the heroes of the day, not just for the last-minute substitution, but equally for performing a daring and virtuoso program."

"America is awash with good string quartets. The trouble is, we seldom get to hear them over here. So full marks to the Edinburgh Festival for enticing the Calder Quartet, which, on yesterday’s evidence, sits well among the US top tier."

"Good things happen when clarinetist John Bruce Yeh is on stage. Yeh, with the Calder Quartet, was at the center of last weekend’s illuminating performance of Aaron Jay Kernis’ new 'Perpetual Chaconne' at SummerFest."

"The Calder's passionate engagement with the music was notable; so was their pinpoint control and near-flawless execution." Read More...

"From the hauntingly modern Adagio that opens this work, the Calder Quartet gave a sensitive and nuanced reading with considered and constant interaction among musicians and musical lines."

"The fire was there, and so was the clarity." Read More...

"And Daniel Wohl's 'Glitch' (2009), a busily tactile essay for strings and electronics, demanded a virtuosic wildness that the Calder Quartet supplied unwaveringly."

"The Calders, who commissioned the work, were outstanding not only in their sound but in their communication and the ease with which they moved between romantic, melodic fragments, minimalist rhythmic pulsating, and Ligeti-esque modern string effects."

"The group demonstrated a nicely taut sense of playing in the Mozart piece, nicknamed 'Dissonance.' So nice, in fact, to the point where it was clear that, as a seasoned ensemble, they could play off one another's energies." Read More...

"Largo's harsh acoustics delighted both the music and a young, hip crowd that was a classical-music demographer's dream. The quartet left the stage to choice howls and excited applause." Read More...

"The Calder found its own gorgeous way into Górecki. The playing did not lack power or drama, but it was not tense. Instead, these four players exuded a kind of rapture in which they were very much in tune with not only the pulse on the page or the score's moody melodies and richly somber harmonies, but also of each other."

"Just like going to the desert and complaining about the lack of vegetation, or visiting the California redwoods and being disappointed that the trees block the view, miss the point, so does coming to a program like this and listening with traditional ears. The trick is to find the music's expectations, and that's a rewarding experience in itself." Read More...

"The Calder Quartet played Arcadiana marvelously, with great concentration and bulletproof technique." Read More...

"Speaking about one of the pieces for string trio, Riley said, 'The Calders play it with great bristling energy ... they really are wonderful players who go into music deeply.'"

"When it comes to the exciting young chamber music ensemble sweepstakes, there are few collectives quite as exciting as Los Angeles' hometown heroes, The Calder Quartet."

"From a melancholy opening filled with swooping glissandos, the 20-minute string quartet emphasizes group virtuosity with jagged bursts of notes deployed in rhythmic unison, mostly at high velocity. Likened by Mr. Rouse in a program note to a grand mal seizure and uneasy even in repose, the piece is unsparing in its demands for pinpoint accuracy, sudden dynamic contrasts and clear articulation. The Calder players met all of its challenges easily in an exacting account."

"And as it turned out, the new stuff was interesting, entertaining and consonant -- not medicine, but tonic..." Read More...

"Dressed in their trademark black suits and straight black ties, the Calders -- violinists Benjamin Jacobson and Andrew Bulbrook, violist Jonathan Moerschel, and cellist Eric Byers -- provided vibrant support. Especially heart-rending was Vladimir Godar's 'Majkomasmalon,' where Bittova sang of flickering candles and falling rain, her voice hovering plaintively above gently rocking accompaniment." Read More...

"Cheng and the Calder's have played this piece often enough to turn it into something of a signature, and showed remarkable cohesiveness and confidence-not to mention delicacy-in maneuvering through what at times sounded like five discrete rhythmic patterns layered on top of one another." Read More...

"Ms. Cheng and the Calder players united in a dazzling account of Mr. Adès' Piano Quintet, in which seeming stylistic nods to Brahms, Schubert, Stravinsky and more are transmogrified into a blazing tour de force of impish affection."

"As far as classical string quartets go, the four gentlemen of the Calder Quartet are as close as it comes to rock stars. They've played on three of the big late-night television shows, toured with party-rocker Andrew WK, and recorded with the indie rock band Vampire Weekend. At the same time, the Julliard-trained quartet is favored by living classical composers Christopher Rouse, Terry Riley and Thomas Adès, and is the ensemble in residence at Carlsbad, the alternative classical music festival." Read More...

"At core of Thursday's event was a superb performance by the Calder Quartet of Kate Moore's haunting, even unforgettable, 58-minute 'Violins and Skeletons.'" Read More...

"Calder's ownership of this piece and their evident devotion to it were evident at every turn, and the stamina required to sustain the energy of this hour-long marathon is inspiring." Read More...

"Whether it's classical string quartets by Mozart, experimental pieces by path-breaking composer Terry Riley or exciting new work by contemporary British composer Thomas Ads, Calder Quartet love it all. They're even into world-beat preppies Vampire Weekend and hard-rocking party animal Andrew W.K., both of whom they've performed with in recent years." Read More...

"It says something that the Calder Quartet, in its recital at the Sixth & I Historic Synagogue on Saturday, was able to conjure the lush world of Ravel's String Quartet in the lyrical first movement, and found a Beethovenian strain of stark yet approachable melancholy in the final movement. Bartok's arresting middle movement, with its fits, starts and broken melodies, was mined for its bleak humor and obsessive energy, but without surrendering the ensemble's notably handsome tone." Read More...

"The second concert in Melbourne's International Arts Festival by the acclaimed Calder Quartet continued their championing of Thomas Ades, but in a more oblique way, performing three works allegedly close to the British composer. Their selection was surprisingly traditional - from Schubert to Janacek - but made for a pleasingly well rounded program performed with convincing authority." Read More...