Orrell Quintet

The Orrell Quintet joins us for a residency May 15-18 ending with a public concert in Rose Hall.

The members of the Orrell Quintet, all graduate students at the Yale School of Music, are Jack Kessler, viola; Esther Kwon, bass; Miu Ishikawa, piano; Amanda Chi, cello; and Kenneth Ryu Takebe Naito, violin.  Orrell, the quintet's name, is inspired by the Ralph Vaughan Williams quintet they will perform, which evokes the English countryside. The quintet's instrumentation is also that of Schubert's famous "Trout" quintet, which they will also perform. 

The distinguished violist, Steven Tenenbom, will coach the Orrell Quintet on Friday, May 17 from 2:00 to 4:00 in Rose Hall. This event is also open to the public.

American violinist Kenneth Ryu Naito holds a bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School,

where he studied with Li Lin, and is now a master’s degree student of Ani Kavafian at the Yale

School of Music. He made his international concerto debut at the age of 11 with the Kostroma

Symphony Orchestra in Russia. Kenneth was a prize winner at national and international

competitions, including the Viktor Tretyakov International Violin Competition in Russia, and has

appeared as soloist with numerous orchestras in the U.S. and abroad. Kenneth performs on a

1780 Nicolò Gagliano violin, graciously loaned to him by the Ryuji Ueno Foundation.

Jack Kessler, violist, completed his bachelor’s degree at the Curtis Institute of Music studying

with Roberto Diaz and Edward Gazouleas, and is now a master’s degree student of Ettore Causa

at the Yale School of Music. Jack performed on NPR’s From The Top with Jeremy Denk at

Dartmouth College, and in recent summers studied at The Perlman Music Program, the

Ashkenasi-Kirshbaum Chamber Music Seminar at the Heifetz International Music Institute, the

Verbier Festival Academy, and the Fontainebleau American Conservatory. Jack’s other interests

include geography, history, and archeology; at Yale last year he enrolled in "Inca

Culture" and "Seapower and Maritime Affairs."

Taiwanese Canadian cellist, Amanda Chi, completed her undergraduate degree at the New

England Conservatory in Boston, and her master’s degree from The Juilliard School. She is now

a master’s degree cello student of Paul Watkins at the Yale School of Music. In 2013, Amanda

became the youngest cello prize winner of the 8th Toronto Sinfonietta Concerto Competition.

As a chamber musician, Amanda has shared the stage with notable artists Frank Huang and

Cynthia Phelps, and worked with esteemed composers such as Helen Grime and Sebastian

Currier. She plays on a 2019 cello made by Andrew Carruthers, Santa Rosa, California.

Korean-American double bassist Esther Kwon completed her undergraduate studies at the

University of Cincinnati studying with Rachel Calin, while simultaneously earning a Bachelor of

Arts degree in Psychology. She is currently a master’s degree student of Donald Palma at the

Yale School of Music. From a musical family in the Pacific Northwest, Esther helps her parents

run an orchestra academy during the summer and performs and teaches in the Seattle-Tacoma

area. She has extensive chamber music and orchestra experience, including summer

participation in the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Festival Napa Valley, and the Taipei

Music Academy.

Pianist Miu Ishikawa completed her bachelor’s degree at the New England Conservatory,

studying with Hae-sun Paik, and is now a master’s degree student of Boris Slutsky at the

Yale School of Music. She is a prize winner at numerous national and international

competitions, including first prize at the Tokyo International Piano Competition and second

prize at the Chicago International Piano Competition. She has spent summers at the

Interharmony Music Festival in Germany, the CLASSICAL BRIDGE in NYC, the Gijon International

Piano Festival in Spain, and the Texas State International Piano Festival.