Making music mentors

The four musicians - Jeremy Berry, Estelle Choi, Ryan Meehan and Jeffrey Myers - who make up the internationally acclaimed Calidore String Quartet have grown accustomed to fans approaching them to talk about their music, which The Los Angeles Times described as having the "kind of sublimity other quartets spend a lifetime searching." More surprising, though, was recently receiving a loud "Go Fightin' Blue Hens" shout-out from a fellow passenger in the Reykjavik airport.

Myers recounted this story with a chuckle one recent afternoon while the quartet was taking a quick break from a rehearsal. They were prepping for a performance at the Caramoor International Music Festival in Westchester County, New York, one of almost a dozen concerts they performed this summer in the U.S. or abroad.

On the day they received this shout-out, they had on University of Delaware gear, swag that Myers recalls University President Dennis Assanis giving them in 2017, when the quartet first became artists-in-residence at UD. Four years later, that relationship was strengthened when they joined the School of Music faculty. The 2024-2025 academic year marks a new milestone, as the ensemble assumes its new status as UD's Distinguished String Quartet in Residence. In this role, the quartet will continue to represent the University on international and campus stages while increasing its teaching responsibilities.