The Formosa Quartet, Quartet

Biography

Winners of the First Prize and Amadeus Prize at the 10th London International String Quartet Competition in 2006, the Formosa Quartet was formed in 2003 when the four founding members came together for a concert tour of Taiwan. Reviewing their critically acclaimed debut CD released by EMI, the Strad states, “their imaginative account of Mozart … is spellbinding,” while Gramophone describes their playing as “remarkably fine both in meticulous response to the letter and in a desire to look beyond the notes.”
 
Jasmine Lin has appeared with the Chicago Symphony and orchestras in Singapore, Brazil, Uruguay, and Taiwan.  She began violin at age four, graduated from the Curtis Institute, and was a prizewinner in the Paganini Competition as well as 2nd prizewinner in the Naumburg Competition. As a chamber artist she has appeared at the Marlboro Music Festival and as a member of the Chicago String Quartet. As a member of the Chicago Chamber Musicians, she received a Grammy nomination for their CD of works by Mozart, and her Trio Voce recently released its first CD on the Con Brio Label. Ms. Lin is on the faculty at Roosevelt University and a proud native of Chicago.

Violinist Wayne Lee is an active chamber musician and recitalist. Since 2008, he has been a member of the Manhattan Piano Trio, an ensemble based in New York. Mr. Lee’s solo repertoire reflects a wide range of musical interests and he has commissioned several works from young American composers. He maintains a large private studio in New York and has given master classes at Cornell University, Iowa State University, and SUNY Fredonia among others. He holds Bachelor and Master of Music degrees from the Juilliard School, where he is now a teaching assistant for Ronald Copes.

Described by the Strad Magazine as a musician whose “tonal distinction and essential musicality produced an auspicious impression” Che-Yen Chen is the newly appointed viola faculty at the USC Thornton School of Music. Mr. Chen is the first-prize winner of the 2003 William Primrose International Viola Competition, and the "President Prize" of the 2003 Lionel Tertis Viola Competition. Currently the principal violist of San Diego Symphony, he has appeared as guest principal with the Los Angeles Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. He has studied under such luminaries as Michael Tree, Joseph de Pasquale, Karen Tuttle and Paul Neubauer.

Brant Taylor is a multifaceted musician appointed to the Chicago Symphony Orchestra by Daniel Barenboim in 1998.  From 1992-97, Mr. Taylor was cellist of the award-winning Everest Quartet, prizewinners at the Banff and Fischoff chamber music competitions. In 2002, he began an association with the band Pink Martini, and can be heard on Pink Martini's 2006 release, “Hey Eugene.”  He has been a frequent guest soloist under the batons of Michael Tilson-Thomas and Nicholas McGegan with Miami’s New World Symphony. Mr. Taylor serves on the faculty of the DePaul University School of Music and holds degrees from the Eastman School of Music and Indiana University.