Composed of members from China, Brazil, South Korea, and the United States, Galvin Cello Quartet burst onto the scene after capturing the silver medal at the 2021 Fischoff Competition, followed shortly by winning the 2022 Victor Elmaleh Competition and joining the Concert Artists Guild roster. Cellists Sihao He, Sydney Lee, Haddon Kay, and Luiz Fernando Venturelli met as students at Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music in the studio of acclaimed pedagogue Hans Jørgen Jensen, and the quartet takes its name from the Mary B. Galvin Recital Hall at Bienen.
The Galvin Quartet incorporates virtuosity and uniqueness through every individual bringing their own artistic nuance to the ensemble. Sihao was the Grand Prize winner at the 3rd Gaspar Cassado International Cello Competition in Japan and claimed 3rd prize in Munich’s ARD International Music Competition. He was a Laureate of the 1st Queen Elizabeth International Cello Competition and Tchaikovsky Competition for Young Musicians, and has appeared in concerts with leading orchestras including the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestra, and Brussels Philharmonic Orchestra. Sydney captured 1st prize at the 2022 Washington International Competition and 2nd prize at the Classic Strings International Competition in Dubai, as well as 1st prize at the 10th Antonio Janigro International Cello Competition. She has performed in venues such as the Kennedy Center Palladium Center for the Performing Arts, Pittsburgh Symphony’s Heinz Hall, and Verizon Hall. Haddon first debuted with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as a finalist for the Chicago Symphony Young Artist Competition. Most recently, he won the 2021 Northwestern University Concerto/Aria Competition, after which he performed the Dvorak Cello Concerto with the Northwestern University Symphony Orchestra. Luiz made his solo debut at the São Paulo Hall at the age of 9, and has since been featured as a soloist with numerous orchestras, including the São Paulo State Symphony, the Goiás Philharmonic and the Bahia Symphony. He has recently been a prize winner in the Sphinx Competition, the Samuel and Elinor Thaviu competition and the New York International Artists Association.
Each member is also an accomplished chamber musician, with Sihao recently named a member of the prestigious Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s The Bowers Program (formerly CMS Two). As a member of the Simply Quartet, he won first prize at the Haydn Invitational Chamber Music Competition in Shanghai, and the group was also awarded “The Most Promising Young String Quartet” at the 4th Beijing International Chamber Music Competition. In addition to regular appearances at top festivals around the county, Sydney has performed on multiple national and international tours through Curtis On Tour, with visits to China, Hong Kong, United States, Germany, and Poland. Haddon is a 1st prize winner at the Rembrandt and Discover Chamber Music Competitions and has appeared four times as a semi-finalist at the Fischoff Competition. He has performed on National Public Radio’s From the Top and on Chicago radio’s WFMT Introductions. When he isn’t performing chamber music across the US, Brazil, and Canada Luiz can be found performing and recording with pop, rock, folk and metal bands and artists throughout Brazil, as well as composing and recording his own music.
With their untamable desire to create, change, and ultimately bring joy through music, He, Lee, Kay, and Venturelli are more excited than ever to explore and expand the possibilities of the cello quartet. Using the limitless range of a cello ensemble, the group’s mission is to bring together new works from diverse cultural backgrounds while seeking to establish the cello quartet as a core part of the classical music world.
