Erberk Eryılmaz - Erberk Eryılmaz: Dances of the Yogurt Maker - New Music for String Quartet and Turkish Folk Percussion (2021)

One of the most unique sought-after ensembles on the concert stage today, the Carpe Diem String Quartet is an adventurous ensemble earning widespread acclaim for performances of traditional and new repertoire, genre-bending collaborations and community engagement. The CDSQ appears regularly on traditional stages, including Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, National Gallery of Art, Chautauqua Institute, Accademia Chigiana, Suntory Hall, National Library Concert Hall and BinHai Performing Arts Center, as well as in numerous unconventional venues. CDSQ defies classification with programming and collaborations that blend new and old classical, Romani, tango, folk, pop, rock, jazz and multicultural music. The Quartet has premiered works by composers from a variety of backgrounds and traditions, including Korine Fujiwara, Jonathan Leshnoff, Reza Vali, Mark Lomax II and now Erberk Eryilmaz. The group has collaborated with a variety of artists, including American Folk musician Willy Porter, Raul Juarena, David Krakauer, Yo-Yo Ma, Jayme Stone, Shannon Heaton, Jeff Midkiff, Tom Battenberg, Nicolo Spera, Yihan Chen and santoor master, Dariush Saghafi. Highly active recording artists, CDSQ has released cycles of the complete string quartets of Taneyev, Leshnoff and Smoot; two critically acclaimed albums of music by Reza Vali; two albums with Willy Porter; Bruce Wolosoff's Songs without Words, Anansi and the Sky God; Quintets for Mandolin and String Quartet by Jeff Midkiff; and Montana, featuring music by composer and quartet member, Korine Fujiwara. Devoted to expanding the reach and impact of community engagement, CDSQ has been awarded six grants from the PNC Foundation. The Quartet's outreach performances incorporate diverse and eclectic repertoire tailored to specific audiences, exploring lively, thought-provoking themes to help audiences connect with chamber music. These carefully crafted performances have allowed the Quartet to reach underserved audiences, including The Apache Nation and Ohio Women's Reformatory residents.