"Our Mission Is What Drives Us:" Poiesis Quartet on Uplifting Emerging Composers

This fall, we’re excited to welcome Poiesis Quartet, our new Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program students, to Curtis Institute of Music. As a mission-driven ensemble, Poiesis aims to expand string quartet repertoire with vibrant works by emerging composers—especially queer artists and people of color. Through initiatives such as their Oberlin Commission Project, which recently premiered works by five emerging queer and trans composers of color, they are bringing this vision to life.

As recent winners of the Cleveland Quartet Award, as well as the 2025 Banff International String Quartet Competition and 2023 Fischoff Competition, Poiesis has quickly emerged as one of today’s leading—and most multifaceted—young chamber music ensembles.

For part one of this two-part series, we sat down with members Sarah Ying Ma, violin, Coco Mi, violin, Jasper de Boor, viola, and Drew Dansby, cello, to talk performance inspiration and the impact they hope to make through their work.

You all initially met and formed the group at Oberlin. What has motivated you to keep performing and growing together over the past four years?

SARAH YING MA: Not a lot of other people in the industry think or work like we do. We share similar values and perspectives, especially as a queer ensemble that prioritizes nontraditional repertoire. So, we’ve kind of built our own universe around our mission, where strong friendships have naturally evolved.

And after winning these recent awards, there is an added responsibility to the type of work we do. This is what keeps us committed and showing up every day.

DREW DANSBY: We started something we have to see through. Sure, we’ve won this stream of competitions that have helped us gain momentum. But we’ve also had to make a lot of decisions about how exactly we want to use those opportunities—and what we want to say as an ensemble. Our mission is the reason we keep going.

You’re focused on expanding the string quartet repertoire with works by emerging composers. What influence and impact do you hope to have on the field by pursuing this mission?

SYM: An educational relationship is really important to our mission. It’s not only about creating a platform for new repertoire—it’s also about creating real spaces where young musicians can get opportunities.

Our recent initiative, the Oberlin Commission Project, which platformed works by five emerging QTPOC (queer/trans people of color), is a good example. Many of these young artists—particularly those who are both queer and a person of color—didn’t think they’d ever receive commission. Many had never worked in a professional, paid, setting with an ensemble before.

COCO MI: There’s also an aspect of storytelling to our work with composers. I find that a lot of new music calls for us to construct more intentional, specific, and meaningful programs. Having a personal connection to composers, and working closely together to create a story, is meaningful to us.

You all also have formal training in non-classical disciplines including chemistry, feminist studies, comparative American studies, and jazz. In what ways has this interdisciplinary expertise influenced your work as artists?

SYM: It allows us to delve into a historically and politically-informed approach to programming. When I was a student at Oberlin, my research focus was largely on education and music pedagogy—so this was also a big part of developing my ethos as an artist, and really our entire ensemble’s commitments.

Also, all four of us play violin! On our new album, Surfacing, which will be released this October, there’s a track where we all play violin together. Our different backgrounds help open up new doors for how we work together.

Congratulations on winning the Cleveland Quartet Award! After hitting this milestone, what’s next for you?

SYM: We have a commission coming up with Iván Enrique Rodríguez, which will premiere in Chicago in November. It’s also a work that’s a reflection on queer belonging in LGBTQ spaces. And we’ll continue with Oberlin Commission project this next season—we’re bringing it on our European tour, and we will also be playing these pieces at the Louve in Paris next year.

CM: We also hopefully want to teach more. Collaboration is at the core of what we want to do. Right now, it’s a lot of performing, which is also awesome—I feel like on stage I get to know everyone in a different way that isn’t replicable off stage.

Interested in connecting with Poiesis Quartet? For fave food spot and matcha recommendations, reach out to them on Instagram.