String Quartet Fellowship
The String Quartet Fellowship offers an exceptional young quartet the opportunity to work closely with the Brentano String Quartet, the School’s ensemble-in-residence, in a residency program at Yale School of Music. The program is designed to mentor the next generation of professional string quartets by offering intensive training and coaching, as well as performance, teaching, and outreach opportunities. The program requires regular, in-person work at the School of Music, and members of the fellowship quartet are expected to live in the New Haven area during their residency.
The fellowship program includes:
- a yearlong residency, renewable for a second year
- coachings with the Brentano String Quartet
- a stipend of $15,000 per quartet member
- performance and outreach opportunities organized by the Yale School of Music
- teaching-assistantship responsibilities
- an annual recital in Morse Recital Hall
- an invitation to attend the Yale Summer School of Music/Norfolk Chamber Music Festival as a fellowship quartet
Application Process
Admission to the fellowship program is through an application process that includes a prescreening recording and a live audition. One member of the quartet should apply on behalf of the ensemble; this person will be considered the “Primary Contact” for the group.
Application
A completed application is due by December 1. Only one member of an ensemble should fill out the application. This person will be considered the “primary contact” for the group.
The primary contact must be prepared to include the following information about each quartet member:
- Date of birth
- Email address
- Individual bio
Application materials
As part of the application, the primary contact for the group must include:
- An individual bio for each quartet member
- A group bio
- A repertoire list
- Two letters of recommendation
- Prescreening recordings
String Quartet Fellowship applicants do not need to submit TOEFL/IELTS scores, essays, or academic transcripts.
Only one application fee ($150) is required for each ensemble.
Prescreening recording (video required)
Three contrasting movements by three composers from different periods. One movement must be from a work by Mozart, Haydn, or Beethoven.
Live audition
1. A complete string quartet by Haydn, Mozart or Beethoven
2. Two contrasting movements from a quartet by Schubert, Mendelssohn, Brahms, Schumann, Dvořák, Debussy or Ravel or another significant 19th century composer
3. Two contrasting selections (may be movements or entire short works) from the 20th or 21st centuries
4. An additional contrasting work (or a significant portion of a larger work) of the group's choice. This could be music from any period that reflects your group's particular musical interests and tastes
If a group wants to include a work that is not on the above-mentioned list, the primary contact should email gradmusic.admissions@yale.edu to ask if the substitute repertoire is acceptable for requirements 2 and/or 3.
Auditions will be held on Wednesday, February 11, 2026.
