“Destined to impress even the most attuned music lovers” (Chicago Magazine), Varo String Quartet (Carmen Abelson and Hannah Christiansen, violins; Lena Vidulich, viola; and Isidora Nojkovic, cello) came together over their shared love for the existing string quartet literature and excitement about the possibilities for what the ensemble can become in the hands of today’s composers. Lauded for the “killer ambiance” (AudPod) of their concert experiences, the Quartet prides itself on inventive programming and spirited, intimate, and risk-taking performances. They are named after one of the three witches of Surrealism, the painter Remedios Varo, whose vibrant creativity, juxtaposition of themes, and lifelong pursuit of discovery inspire the Quartet to pair “music that everybody knows [with] music that nobody knows” in thought-provoking and unexpected ways. 

The 2025-2026 season sees VSQ making their recital debut at The Block in Muskegon MI, in residence with Western Michigan University’s composition department, and returning to two favorite Chicago venues, the May Chapel at Rosehill Cemetery and Fulton Recital Hall at the University of Chicago. Other season highlights include a long-awaited double bill with Quince Ensemble at The CheckOut and the November release of Luis Fernando Amaya’s portrait album nacen en silencio, which features VSQ’s recording of Dialectico De Árbol No. 4. 

The members of VSQ have backgrounds spanning many genres and have performed with groups including Chicago Sinfonietta, Ensemble Dal Niente, Japanese Breakfast, the Lyric Opera of Chicago Orchestra, the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, and Thurman Barker & the Cagy Bird Orchestra. Collectively, they hold degrees from DePaul University, the Manhattan School of Music, Northwestern University, Oberlin Conservatory, Rice University, and the University of Ottawa. Their work together as VSQ has unearthed a “penchant for playing in unusual spaces” and past season highlights include the 2024 premiere of Kristopher Bendrick’s large scale work for quartet and soprano, what it means to fall apart, the 2025 premiere of Noah Jenkins’s Poetics of Space Translation Symmetry with saxophone quartet ~Nois on Chicago’s Frequency Festival, a portrait concert of Grazyna Bacewicz at the International Museum of Surgical Science, and performing works of David Lang and Julia Wolfe with conductor Donald Nally (The Crossing) and the Northwestern University Contemporary Vocal Ensemble.