Seal Quartet Takes Top Honors at the 2025 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition (Junior Division)

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SAINT PAUL, MN — April 12, 2025 — The 2025 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition (SPSQC) Junior Division, the nation’s premier event for high school string quartets, was held on Saturday, April 12. Selected from a competitive pool of applicants representing cities from Los Angeles to New York, seven exceptional high school ensembles advanced to the live competition, which featured three rounds adjudicated by the renowned Pacifica Quartet.

 

Each ensemble brought a unique voice to the stage, demonstrating remarkable preparation and artistry. The audience responded enthusiastically, casting 1,142 votes for the coveted Audience Prize.

 

Top honors went to the SEAL Quartet from the Colburn Community School of Performing Arts / Ed and Mari Edelman Chamber Music Institute in Los Angeles, who claimed both the Gold Medal and the Haydn Prize. The Caspian String Quartet, from the Music Institute of Chicago, earned Silver Medals and the BIPOC Prize, while the Porphyrion Quartet, also from the Music Institute of Chicago, received the Bronze Medal.

 

The Audience Prize was shared by the Lyra Quartet and Raemonia Quartet, both representing the Preparatory Program at the Community Music School at Webster University. Quartetto Speranza, from Midwest Young Artists, and Quartet Selene, from the Artaria Chamber Music School, were awarded Honorary Certificates for their performances in the BIPOC Round. Quartetto Speranza also received an Honorable Mention for their Final Round performance.

 

The Final Round jury for the 2025 SPSQC was the Pacifica Quartet. Selection jurors for the Junior Division included Christopher Costanza (St. Lawrence String Quartet), Korine Fujiwara (Carpe Diem Quartet), Ryan Meehan (Calidore String Quartet), and Rachel Shapiro (Aeolus Quartet).

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