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Poiesis Quartet wins Grand Prize at Banff International String Quartet Competition

September 2, 2025

Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity in Banff, Alberta, Canada announced the Poiesis Quartet as the grand prize winner of the 15th triennial Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). The CCM graduate student ensemble consists of artist diploma students Sarah Ying Ma (she/they) on violin, Max Ball (he/they) on violin, Jasper de Boor (they/them) on viola and Drew Dansby (he/him) on cello.

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Poiesis Quartet to compete at Banff International String Quartet Competition

August 25, 2025

CCM graduate student ensemble the Poiesis Quartet is the only quartet in the USA to compete in the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition (BISQC). At CCM, the Poiesis Quartet studies chamber music with the Ariel Quartet. Members are AD student Sarah Ying Ma, violin; AD student Max Ball, violin; AD student Jasper de Boor; and AD student Drew Dansby, cello.

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New York Times article on notation in classical music features CCM faculty

August 20, 2025

At UC's College-Conservatory of Music, tomorrow’s arts luminaries work with today’s industry leaders. CCM is home to an international faculty of dedicated educators who are also celebrated performers and arts professionals in their own right. The New York Times recently turned to one of CCM's performing arts experts to weigh in on the topic of what musicologists call "paratext:" words—or even illustrations—that composers sometimes leave alongside their musical notation, which musicians then need to interpret as they try to bring a composer's idea to life.