Verona Quartet to Make Shriver Hall Debut With Saxophonist Steven Banks

Shriver Hall Concert Series will present the Verona Quartet in its SHCS debut on Sunday, December 6, 2026 at 5:30 p.m. at Shriver Hall. Called 'the saxophone's best friend, fiercest advocate, and primary virtuoso in the classical realm' (The Washington Post), sensational saxophonist Steven Banks joins the group in his Baltimore debut to explore the expressive vitality of works by Christopher Theofanidis and Mozart.

Featuring violinists Jonathan Ong and Dorothy Ro, violist Abigail Rojansky, and cellist Jonathan Dormand, the Verona Quartet has been acclaimed as an 'outstanding ensemble' (The New York Times) with a 'big, vibrant sound' (San Diego Union). The quartet has soared to prominence in recent years with prizes and performances across four continents. In addition to Mozart's Quartet in F Major, the Verona Quartet will perform Christopher Theofanidis's Visions of the Hereafter (after Hieronymus Bosch) - a work written for the quartet and Banks inspired by Bosch's paintings of the same name, which depict the routes to Heaven and Hell. The quartet will also perform Dvořák's String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105.

For over 60 years, the Shriver Hall Concert Series has brought world-class musicians and artists to Baltimore and its surrounding communities, enriching the cultural scene with outstanding performances in classical and chamber music. This season, Shriver Hall features both established artists and some of the industry's most exciting new talent, for a program that explores classic masterpieces and modern compositions alike.

SHCS next presents the return of Grammy-winning violinist and international superstar Midori to Shriver Hall on Sunday, February 7, 2027 at 5:30 p.m. alongside frequent collaborator pianist Özgür Aydin for a solo recital that includes the U.S. premiere of a new work by French composer Thierry Escaich, co-commissioned by SHCS.

Concert Information:

Verona Quartet (SHCS Debut)
Steven Banks, saxophone (Baltimore Debut)
Sunday, December 6, 2026, 5:30 p.m.
Shriver Hall | 3400 N. Charles Street | Baltimore, MD 21218
Tickets: Single Tickets from $30; $10 Students
Link: shriverconcerts.org/veronabanks

Program:
WOLFGANG AMADEUS MOZART: Quartet in F major for Oboe, Violin, Viola, and Cello, K. 370 (arr. Banks)
CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS: Visions of the Hereafter (after Hieronymus Bosch) for Saxophone and String Quartet
ANTONÍN DVOŘÁK: String Quartet No. 14 in A-flat major, Op. 105

A Pre-Concert Talk takes place at 4:30 pm in Shriver Hall with the Peabody Institute's Dr. Susan Weiss.

Artists:
Verona Quartet
Jonathan Ong, violin
Dorothy Ro, violin
Abigail Rojansky, viola
Jonathan Dormand, cello
Steven Banks, saxophone

About the Verona Quartet
The Verona Quartet is recognized as a premier ensemble of its generation, praised by The New York Times as an 'outstanding ensemble...cohesive yet full of temperament.' Recipient of the 2020 Chamber Music America Cleveland Quartet Award and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association's 2025 Educator Award, the ensemble has earned a reputation for its 'bold interpretive strength' (Calgary Herald) and 'opulent sonority' (The Strad). The Quartet serves on the faculty of Oberlin College and Conservatory as quartet-in-residence, and its members are artistic directors of the Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance.

The ensemble's rise to international prominence was fueled by a swift succession of top prize wins at Wigmore Hall, Melbourne, Osaka, M-Prize, and Fischoff International Chamber Music Competitions, as well as the 2015 Concert Artists Guild Competition. The Verona Quartet has appeared across four continents, captivating audiences at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, Kennedy Center, the Library of Congress, the Smithsonian Institution, Jordan Hall, and Wigmore Hall. They have performed at festivals including the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, La Jolla Summerfest, Chamber Music Northwest, and Bravo! Vail. In addition to its position at Oberlin, the Quartet is featured in annual residencies at the ENCORE Chamber Music Institute and North Carolina's Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle.

In the 2026-27 season, the Verona Quartet maintains an active schedule with appearances at Maverick Concerts, Shriver Hall Concert Series, Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Peoples' Symphony Concerts, and Stanford University, as well as collaborations with pianist Jeremy Denk, clarinetist Alexander Fiterstein, and saxophonist Steven Banks. In February 2027, the Quartet collaborates with pianist Simone Dinnerstein for the world premiere of a new Oberlin-commissioned piano quintet by composer Texu Kim.

A string quartet for the 21st century, the Verona Quartet pairs versatile programming with imaginative collaborations that bridge the time-honored canon and new, interdisciplinary works. Notable commissions and premieres include works by composers Christopher Theofanidis, Julia Adolphe, Texu Kim, and Sebastian Currier, as well as Michael Gilbertson's Pulitzer Prize-nominated Quartet. The ensemble recently celebrated several world premieres, including a work for string quartet, yangqin (Chinese dulcimer), and dancer by Cheng Jin Koh, commissioned by the Smithsonian Institution in honor of the centennial of the Freer Gallery of Art. Past ventures highlight the group's versatility, ranging from live performance art installations with artist Ana Prvački to collaborations with the Grammy-winning folk trio I'm With Her.

The Quartet's recording catalog reflects this same spirit of exploration. Its second album, 'SHATTER,' debuted at #1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Chart in 2023, showcasing works written for the ensemble by Julia Adolphe and Michael Gilbertson, alongside Reena Esmail's Ragamala with Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak. This followed its debut album 'Diffusion,' praised by BBC Music Magazine for its 'radiant glow,' and a 2023 release of György Ligeti's complete string quartet cycle. In 2026, the quartet releases its fourth album featuring the string quartets of Felix Mendelssohn.

The Verona Quartet takes its name from the city of Verona, paying tribute to William Shakespeare and the belief that the spirit of storytelling transcends genre. Its website is veronaquartet.com

About Steven Banks

Hailed by The Washington Post as 'the saxophone's best friend, fiercest advocate and primary virtuoso in the classical realm,' performer and composer Steven Banks strives to bring his instrument to the heart of the classical world. He commissions and writes music that expands the repertoire for saxophone, introducing audiences to new possibilities for artistic expression. Banks is a devoted and intentional supporter of diverse voices in the future of classical music.

Through his exceptional artistry, Banks has built ongoing relationships with orchestras. This is reflected in return invitations during 2026-27 to the Cleveland Orchestra and the National, New World, Toronto, Seattle, and Cincinnati symphony orchestras. He makes notable debuts with the Los Angeles Philharmonic and the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, as well as the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin, Orchestre National de Belgique, and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. Recent and upcoming conductor collaborations include Stéphane Dénève, Jonathan Heyward, Manfred Honeck, Cristian Măcelaru, Peter Oundjian, Rafael Payare, Ruth Reinhardt, Santu-Matias Rouvali, Jukka-Pekka Saraste, Leonard Slatkin, Robert Spano, and Xian Zhang.

Banks is committed to establishing the saxophone as a vital voice in classical music by commissioning works that showcase its expressive capabilities. Billy Childs's Diaspora (2023) and Joan Tower's Love Returns (2024) mark major milestones in this mission. His growing list of premieres also includes works by Carlos Simon, Augusta Read Thomas, and Christopher Theofanidis, and a new concerto by Joel Thompson to be premiered in 2028.

Banks's compositions are increasingly in demand, and he has been commissioned by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Young Concert Artists, and the La Jolla, Chamber Music Northwest, Bridgehampton, Tulsa, and Tucson chamber music festivals. His solo works Through My Mother's Eyes, written for violinist Hilary Hahn, and Fantasy on Recurring Daydreams, premiered by pianist Zhu Wang, have received critical acclaim.

In recital, Banks appears at prestigious series including Cal Performances, Chamber Music Northwest, Davies Hall, Merkin Hall, The Kennedy Center, The Kravis Center, Festival Napa Valley, and Chamber Music Sedona. As a chamber musician, he enjoys longstanding collaborations with the Miró Quartet and the Verona Quartet, and he is a founding member of the all-saxophone ensemble Kenari Quartet.

'Cries, Sighs, and Dreams,' Banks's debut album, was released in 2026. The recording celebrates the expressive range of the saxophone family through works by Saint Saëns, Creston, Carlos Simon, and Banks himself. As part of his ongoing advocacy for diversity and inclusion, Banks created Come As You Are, a community engagement initiative developed in partnership with orchestras to increase representation in the concert hall by welcoming new audiences through community performances and affordable tickets. Following its initial success, the initiative expands to additional orchestras in 2026-27.

Banks is the first saxophonist to receive a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant and to earn First Prize at the Young Concert Artists Susan Wadsworth International Auditions. He recently joined the faculty of the University of North Carolina School of the Arts and continues to serve at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Banks studied with Taimur Sullivan, Otis Murphy Jr., and Galvin Crisp, earning degrees from Indiana University and Northwestern University. His website is steven-banks.com.

About Shriver Hall Concert Series

For more than 60 years, Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) has been 'Baltimore's finest importer of classical music talent' (The Baltimore Sun) and the area's premier presenter of chamber music ensembles and solo recitalists with a mission to enrich the Baltimore community through outstanding chamber music and recital experiences. A 5-time recipient of Baltimore Magazine's distinction 'Best Classical Music' in its annual 'Best of Baltimore' issue, the coveted subscription series features many of the world's most renowned soloists and ensembles, presented in The Johns Hopkins University's Shriver Hall.

Founded in 1966 by Dr. Ernest Bueding, a pharmacologist at Johns Hopkins University, and a group of similarly dedicated music enthusiasts, SHCS set out to make an important contribution to the vitality of an already vibrant city. When flutist Jean-Pierre Rampal walked onto the stage of Shriver Hall for the first concert, more than 1,100 people witnessed the launch of what is now recognized as a remarkable success story: Shriver Hall Concert Series. In the succeeding years, SHCS has presented hundreds of acclaimed and emerging International Artists in classical chamber music and recitals, and a legacy of important debuts and premieres. In addition, SHCS collaborates with local schools and subsidizes hundreds of student tickets each season.

The list of artists presented by SHCS is remarkable-Radu Lupu, Murray Perahia, Ewa Podlés, Maurizio Pollini, Jacqueline du Pré, Mstislav Rostropovich, Jordi Savall, András Schiff, Rudolf Serkin, Janos Starker, Daniil Trifonov, Lynn Harrell, Emanuel Ax, Alban Berg Quartet, Guarneri Quartet, Kronos Quartet, Cleveland Quartet, and Quartetto Italiano, among many others. SHCS also has a history of championing important musicians early in their careers, including Richard Goode, Hilary Hahn, Hélène Grimaud, Dawn Upshaw, Lang Lang, and the Emerson String Quartet. Commissioned composers include Timo Andres, Billy Childs, Sebastian Currier, Jonathan Leshnoff, James Lee III, Han Lash, Nokuthula Ngwenyama, Caroline Shaw, Carlos Simon, Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate, and Nina C. Young.

Designed specifically for the community, SHCS offers the Discovery Series, a series of free concerts presented in venues throughout the region, focused on artists emerging on the national and international scene. Artists featured include Narek Hakhnazaryan, Colin Currie, Xavier Foley, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, Eric Lu, and the Dover Quartet. SHCS also offers a variety of student programs.