Catena String Quartet

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About Us

The Quartet

Quartet Bio

The Catena String Quartet formed in 2022 and is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. All dedicated musicians from an early age, they hold a particular love for chamber music. John Rose (Viola), having a previous friendship with Mike Miller (Violin), enlisted Sam Schoenwald (Violin). Avery Johnson (Cello), having heard of the project from a mutual contact at the Wayzata Symphony, reached out, and the quartet was formed. As it goes in the classical music world, they discovered many unknown connections between them: John being roommates with a former quartet member of Avery’s, Sam and Mike attending the same high school without knowledge of each other, and Mike and Avery attending the same conservatory but at different times. As a result of these connections, they chose the name “Catena”, a Latin word meaning "a connected series or chain”. Early inspirations for them have been “Woodworks” and “Last Leaf”, which are collections of folk tunes arranged for string quartet by the Danish String Quartet. They are proud to have performed selections of these works for the Danish American Institute in Minneapolis and at a function for the Queen of Norway at the Four Seasons Hotel in Minneapolis.

The Performers

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Photos by Caroline Ellingboe

Website by Sam Schoenwald