The Poiesis Quartet, the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music, has won first prize at the Banff International String Quartet Competition in Alberta, Canada. The honor comes with more than 500,000 Canadian dollars in cash and professional development and performance opportunities.
Founded in 1983, the Banff competition ranks among chamber music’s most prestigious showcases, open to quartets with members under the age of 35. Over the course of a week, participants perform Classical, Romantic and contemporary repertoire before an international jury, vying for both prize money and exposure to concert presenters, managers and broadcasters.
Poiesis – which consists of violinists Sarah Ying Ma and Max Ball, violist Jasper de Boor and cellist Drew Dansby – topped a field of 10 quartets invited from around the world to compete in the triennial event. Arete Quartet of South Korea finished second, and Quartet KAIRI, with members from Japan and China, placed third, according to The Violin Channel.
Poiesis was the only North American group represented at the 2025 competition, which concluded Aug. 31. Their victory places them in elite company alongside the likes of past Banff winners such as the Isidore, Dover and Miró quartets.
Along with bragging rights, Poiesis’ top prize includes a three-year artistic and touring program with residencies at Banff Centre, a recording project and a one-year Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University. The quartet will also perform in Austria and Switzerland through an Esterházy Foundation residency and take part in a two-week Chamber Music Residency at Britten Pears Arts in England.
A growing international reputation
The win in Canada adds to a growing list of accolades for Poiesis, an Ancient Greek word that roughly translates to “creative power” or “bringing into being.” The group formed at Oberlin College and Conservatory of Music, where the members studied with Sibbi Bernhardsson of the Pacifica Quartet and the Verona Quartet. All four members moved on to continue their music training and education at CCM, where they serve their residence under the Ariel Quartet.
Poiesis’ resume also includes the grand prize at the 2023 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and first place at the 2024 Concert Artists Guild Competition.
The ensemble has completed international residencies in Uruguay, Italy, Canada and France, including programs at the Emilia Romagna Festival, the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, the University of Victoria and the Festival d’Aix-en-Provence. It also served a residency with Cincinnati’s concertnova, a collective known for its multisensory and interdisciplinary performances.
Poiesis’ debut album, “as we are,” featuring mezzo-soprano Nancy Maultsby, received praise by critics for its depth and energy.
Beyond their schedule associated with their Banff victory, Poiesis is the 2025-26 Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts and will also serve as the 2025 St. Lawrence Emerging String Quartet in Residence at Stanford University.
Poiesis will perform “Absolute Jest” with the Dayton Philharmonic and alongside the Oberlin Orchestra at Cleveland’s Severance Hall.
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