The Slatkin Quartet 
The Balfour Quartet 
Chamber Music Festival Participants
By Mary Kothman
The 31st annual MASTA Chamber Music Festival was held on Monday, March 7, 2022 at Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. Guest artists and competition judges were the string faculty at Western Michigan University: Megan Crawford, violin; Igor Fedotov, viola; Bruce Uchimura, cello; and Michael Hovnanian, double bass. Enrichment classes were presented by Helen Yee and Karin Code.
The winning ensemble of the 31st annual MASTA Chamber Music Festival Competition was the Slatkin Quartet for their performance of the first movement of String Quartet No. 1 in D Major, Op. 44 by Felix Mendelssohn. The Slatkin Quartet is Clarice Nayeon Kim, violin; Jackson Donald McDowell, violin; Benjamin Robert Graham, viola; and Ty Po-Yu, cello. They will perform at Hillsdale College on a student chamber music concert on Saturday, April 30th at 3 p.m. in Conrad Recital Hall, Howard Music Building.
The runner-up ensemble was the Balfour Quartet, performing the first movement of String Quartet No. 2 by Sergei Prokofiev. Members of the Balfour Quartet are: Lilliana Wodzisz, violin; Joseph Stapleton, violin; Benjamin Robert Graham, viola; and Danial Gross, cello.
Congratulations to these students, all that participated and their teachers and coaches! The Slatkin Quartet is coached by Hai Xin Wu and the Balfour Quartet is coached by James Gross.