Ying Quartet
By Lily Goodman
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Longtime favorites of the university’s Hancher Auditorium, the Ying Quartet along with pianist and composer, Billy Childs, concluded their week-long residency here at the University of Iowa on Saturday night with a performance at Hancher Saturday night, which included music composed by Beethoven, Dvořák, and Childs himself.

First coming into professional prominence in the 1990s during their residency in the small town of Jesup, Iowa, the Ying Quartet is now recognized as one of the most established and highest ranking musical ensembles across the globe, with performances in some of the most important concert halls such as the Sydney Opera House and Carnegie Hall. On their website, the Quartet states their belief that concert music can integrated into and become a meaningful part of everyday life. Phillip Ying, violist for the Quartet, said that chamber music is best experienced live, and that listening to live chamber music is like “conversing with a few treasured friends who love being together and energize each other… [and can help us] explore the full range of feeling and emotion and to remind us of what it means to be a human being.”

In reference to their time in Jesup, Ying had only good things to say, stating that the two years they lived there gave them “the opportunity to share our music in every kind of setting for every kind of audience, from school classrooms… to prisons… even in people’s living rooms if they wanted to hear some live music. This experience taught us much more deeply about the power and beauty of music to move people and to celebrate what we all share in common.” Giving credit on their website to Jesup, a farm town of only 2000 people, with laying the foundation for the group’s present musical life and goals, Ying said the Quartet loved how “welcoming everyone in Jesup was, and we were encouraged by the genuine curiosity they brought along with the willingness to really listen.”

Now in their second decade of playing together, the Ying Quartet travels the globe performing in the most prestigious of places such as the White House, and have even racked up a number of Grammy nominations and one Grammy win in the past few years. When asked about his favorite place the Quartet has traveled to, Ying said that he couldn’t really name a favorite, adding, “Wherever we are, we are most excited about the connection that can be built with our listeners through the extraordinary string quartet repertoire, and whenever that happens, it’s magical!” But of course, despite their massive success, the Ying Quartet continues to return to and perform where it all started, and that’s right here in Iowa.