Marianne Henry, Violin Nicole Cherry, Violin Diedra Lawrence, Viola Prudence McDaniel, Cello For nearly twenty years the Marian Anderson String Quartet has brought inspiration and hope to every segment of American society in performance venues ranging from the concert stage to the soup kitchens, from presidential inaugurals to juvenile correctional facilities. The Marian Anderson String Quartet continues to uphold its mission: To create new and diverse audiences for the field of chamber music. On September 30, 1989 the members of the Marian Anderson String Quartet, then known as the Chaminade Quartet, came together; unaware that they would soon change history. In 1991, the Quartet won the International Cleveland Quartet Competition, becoming the first African American ensemble in history to win a classical music competition. To highlight this singular achievement the members of the quartet asked permission of the great contralto, Marian Anderson, to use her name as their own. Miss Anderson responded with heartfelt approval and, in a memorable show of gratitude, the Marian Anderson String Quartet played for its legendary namesake and her nephew, conductor James DePriest. The Marian Anderson String Quartet’s artistic endeavors have brought them to New York’s Alice Tully Hall, the Corcoran Gallery, the Library of Congress, the Cleveland Institute of Music, Kilbourn Hall, The University of Southern California and the Chateau Cantanac-Brown in Bordeaux, France. The Quartet’s distinguished history includes performances through the Da Camera Society, the San Luis Obispo Mozart Festival and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. On January 20, 1993, they performed at Washington D.C.’s Kennedy Center as part of the 52nd presidential inaugural celebration. Driven by their belief in the power of education, the Marian Anderson String Quartet has performed in hundreds of churches, libraries, museums, soup kitchens and prisons. They have brought their craft to countless children across the America, under the auspices of Young Audiences, Da Camera of Houston and Project G.R.A.D. (Graduation Really Achieves Dreams) in Houston, Texas.  In 2000, they were awarded a rural residency grant from the Texaco Foundation, which brought music and culture to communities in the south and southwestern United States. The Marian Anderson String Quartet was Quartet in Residence at City College of New York (1990-1995), Ensemble in Residence at California State University- Los Angeles (1995-1999), completed a graduate fellowship program at the acclaimed Shepherd School of Music at Rice University- Houston, Texas (1999-2001), Ensemble in Residence at Prairie View A&M University (2001-2005) and Ensemble in Residence with the Brazos Valley Symphony (2004-2006).  Other outreach endeavors in Texas include a yearly residency with Camp OPAS at Texas A&M University that uses a residency template, introducing fourth graders to the world of the performing arts that was invented by the quartet, and an educational grant from the Plass Foundation to play at nine elementary and secondary schools in Bryan, Texas.  The quartet has played for most of the CSISD and BISD in the area. The quartet is involved with various musical organizations such as; St. Cecilia’s Consort - an Early Music Ensemble, and the American Guild of Organists. They have toured across Texas bringing their unique brand of outreach to such cities as Austin, Beaumont, Brown, Conroe, Crystal Lake, Dallas, Sherman, Galveston, Georgetown, Houston, San Angelo, and the list goes on. In 2006 The Marian Anderson String Quartet received the coveted Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Award for Excellence in Arts and Culture from the Congress of Racial Equality. In April 2008 the Quartet was awarded the Guarneri String Quartet Residency by Chamber Music America (CMA). CMA awards an annual residency grant specifically designed for string quartets as part of their Residency Partnership Program.  Named in honor of the Guarneri String Quartet, the award is made possible through a generous gift from the Sewell Family Foundation. Currently, they are enjoying their eighth year as Ensemble in Residence at Texas A&M University in the Department of Performance Studies in Bryan/College Station, TX and they are the founders of the Marian Anderson String Quartet Chamber Music Institute which is a music festival devoted to the musical development of children and adults of all ages in the Bryan/College Station, Texas area. The Marian Anderson String Quartet is represented by MCM Artists Worldwide.