Friction Quartet

String quartet

Based in Oakland and San Francisco
Facebook page
29 Played at 29 groupmuses!

Friction Quartet

String quartet

About

Friction Quartet, whose performances have been called “terribly beautiful” (San Francisco Classical Voice), “stunningly passionate” (Calgary Herald) and “exquisitely skilled” (ZealNYC), exists to exists to modernize the chamber music experience and expand the string quartet repertoire. Joshua Kosman (San Francisco Chronicle) declared that Friction Quartet is “an artist who should be discovered” and described their performance as “high-octane music making…a fine blend of rhythmic ferocity and tonal flair.”

Friction gave their Carnegie Hall debut as part of the Kronos Quartet Workshop in 2016, and returned in 2018 to perform Black Angels as part of "The '60s" festival. They were the second place winner of the 2016 Schoenfeld International String Competition and were quarter-finalists in the 2015 Fischoff Competition.

They have held residencies at New Music for Strings Festival, Interlochen Arts Camp, The Center for New Music, The Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance, and more.

Music

21st century:
Music by John Adams, Michi Wiancko, Alex Dowling, Annika Socolofksy, Andy Akiho and many, many more.
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20th century:
Music by Benjamin Britten, Leos Janacek, Alban Berg, Bela Bartok, Peteris Vasks, Maurice Ravel, Dimitri Shostakovich and more.
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Earlier Music:
Music by Fanny Mendelssohn, Ludwig van Beethoven, Johannes Brahms, Antonin Dvorak, Joseph Haydn and more.
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Pop Music:
Music by Prince, Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, Skrillex, Radiohead, Britney Spears and more.

Videos

Audio

Programs

Host one of these programs in your space!

Past groupmuses (29)

  • Church

    Friction Presents: Sundial

    Sunday, Jan 21, 2024 8:00 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: Noe Valley, SF
    • Instruments: String Quartet
    • Price: $15 tickets ($10 for Supermusers)

    Happened 10 months ago

  • ROUNDCOLLAB presents: Friction Quartet

    Saturday, Dec 2, 2023 11:00 AM PST

    • Neighborhood: Dogpatch, SF
    • Composers: Trey Spruance, Michi Wiancko, Lu Yun
    • Instruments: String quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened 12 months ago

  • Friction Quartet at Côte West Winery in Oakland

    Sunday, Feb 26, 2023 5:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: East Peralta, Oakland
    • Composers: Hugo Wolf, Michi Wiancko, Hugo Alfven
    • Instruments: String Quartet & Soprano
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $10+ at event

    Happened over 1 year ago

  • Outdoors

    It's a Friction Picnic!

    Saturday, Nov 6, 2021 4:30 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: North Oakland
    • Composers: Prokofiev, Dvorak, Hovatter
    • Instruments: string quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened about 3 years ago

  • ART and SOUND , Part VIII

    Sunday, Feb 9, 2020 6:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: SoMa, SF
    • Composers: Boccherini, Prokofiev
    • Instruments: string quartet plus guitar
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened almost 5 years ago

  • Art and Sounds, Part VI

    Sunday, Sep 15, 2019 6:30 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: SoMa, SF
    • Composers: Debussy, Haydn
    • Instruments: string quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened about 5 years ago

  • Winter Sunset Groupmuse with Friction Quartet

    Sunday, Feb 24, 2019 3:45 PM EST

    • Neighborhood: Chinatown, Boston
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 5 years ago

  • Friction on Felix

    Saturday, Nov 10, 2018 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: Richmond, CA
    • Composers: Britten
    • Instruments: String quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened about 6 years ago

  • Music in the Rockridge Sunset

    Saturday, Oct 20, 2018 5:00 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Upper Rockridge, Oakland
    • Composers: Britten, SOHN, Prince
    • Instruments: String quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened about 6 years ago

  • San Francisco's Friction String Quartet in Seattle

    Sunday, Oct 7, 2018 2:30 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Inverness
    • Composers: Janáček, Mellits, Andersen, Loiacono
    • Instruments: String Quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened about 6 years ago

  • Outdoors

    Bird House Spectacular

    Friday, May 18, 2018 7:00 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Adams Point, Oakland
    • Composers: Janacek, Beethoven, Prince
    • Instruments: String quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 6 years ago

  • The Unicorn's Maiden 'muse: Birthday Edition!

    Saturday, Feb 10, 2018 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: West Oakland
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened almost 7 years ago

  • Notes from the Attic..

    Thursday, Feb 1, 2018 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: Noe Valley, SF
    • Composers: Haydn, Healy
    • Instruments: String Quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened almost 7 years ago

  • Gracemuse

    Wednesday, Jul 19, 2017 7:00 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Saint Francis Wood, SF
    • Composers: Smetana, Healy
    • Instruments: String Quartet
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • Strings on Elgin Park

    Sunday, May 21, 2017 7:30 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Mission District, SF
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • Magnifique Friction Quartet.

    Friday, May 5, 2017 7:30 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Civic Center, SF
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • Coachello

    Saturday, Apr 15, 2017 7:00 PM PDT

    • Neighborhood: Lower Haight, San Francisco
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • Outdoors

    Flowering Trills

    Friday, Mar 10, 2017 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: Mission District, SF
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • Embassy Groupmuse February

    Sunday, Feb 26, 2017 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: Lower Haight, San Francisco
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened over 7 years ago

  • The Brothers Avshalomov Birthday Groupmuse

    Saturday, Feb 4, 2017 7:30 PM PST

    • Neighborhood: South of Market, SF
    • Price: $5 to reserve, $20+ at event

    Happened almost 8 years ago