Play it Forward Residency

The Odyssey String Quartet, coached by Martin Beaver, former violinist of the world-renowned Tokyo String Quartet, is composed of Ethan Mayer and Isabella Brown (violins), Zechariah Mo (viola), and Mei Hotta (cello). All four musicians are currently enrolled at the Colburn School, where they study with Robert Lipsett, Martin Beaver, Clive Greensmith, and Tatjana Masurenko. Ethan, an alumnus of the Aspen Music Festival and Kneisel Hall, has an extensive performance career, having soloed with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra and the St. Louis Philharmonic and has performed and competed with various chamber groups across the country. Isabella made her solo debut with orchestra at the age of ten and has since won first prize in dozens of competitions and performed with many orchestras across the country, including the Cleveland Orchestra and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Zechariah was a two-time semifinalist of the Klein International String Competition and has won numerous concerto competitions which led him to solo with several Illinois orchestras as well as the La Crosse Symphony Orchestra in Wisconsin. Mei has been featured as a soloist on NPR’s From the Top and subsequently was invited to collaborate with prestigious artists including Pink Martini, Vijay Gupta, and Peter Dugan. She has competed in and won top prizes in several international competitions, including the Stulberg International Competition and the Klein International String Competition. Isabella and Zechariah previously studied together at the Music Institute of Chicago’s Academy, and bring a rich history of past chamber experiences and successes, having been awarded the Silver Medal in the Junior Division of the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, Overall Winner in the 2020 MYA National Chamber Music Competition, and Amateur Division Grand Prize Winner of the 2020 Chicago International Music Competition. They were also featured together on WFMT’s Introductions.