​The 2027 Saint Paul String Quartet Competition will celebrate the creativity and vitality of 21st-century chamber music through its Composer Spotlight Rounds, featuring compelling works by two distinctive voices in contemporary American composition.

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Senior Division finalist quartets will perform String Quartet (2024) by Brian Raphael Nabors, a composer whose dynamic musical language draws on a rich range of influences to create vivid, expressive sound worlds.

Junior Division finalist quartets will take on Voodoo Dolls (2008) by Jessie Montgomery, a celebrated composer and violinist known for her imaginative fusion of classical traditions with the rhythms, energy, and spirit of contemporary American life.

Through these featured works, the competition invites emerging chamber musicians to engage deeply with the music of our time, bringing their own artistry and perspective to the evolving tradition of the string quartet.

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