Argus Quartet wins prestigious Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition

The Argus Quartet recently won first prize in the annual Concert Artists Guild’s Victor Elmaleh Competition. The quartet includes USC Thornton alumni Clara Kim (DM ’15, violin) and Jason Issokan (MM ’10, violin), along with violist Dana Kelley and cellist Jo Whang. Along with co-winner, pianist Dominic Cheli, the quartet will receive a cash prize of $5,000 and a variety of benefits which include a management contract with CAG, a major accomplishment for young artists.

The Argus Quartet was founded at Thornton in 2013 and has since received a host of invitations to perform around the world. In 2015, they won first prize at the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition at the University of Michigan. They currently serve as the graduate quartet in residence at The Juilliard School where they work closely with the Juilliard String Quartet. From 2015-17, they were the quartet-in-residence at Yale School of Music. They will make their debut at Lincoln Center’s Alice Tully Hall in May of 2018