Cleveland Institute of Music and Kinhaven Announce New String Quartet Fellowship Connecting Artistic Excellence, Education, and Career Readiness

Year-long postgraduate fellowship provides emerging chamber musicians with advanced training, teaching experience, mentorship and professional opportunities 

The Cleveland Institute of Music (CIM) and Kinhaven announce the launch of the Kinhaven-CIM String Quartet Fellowship, a new year-long postgraduate residency designed to prepare emerging chamber musicians for meaningful, sustainable careers as performers, educators and leaders. This Fellowship, bringing together two institutions with longstanding commitments to artistic excellence and transformative education, builds on the distinctive strengths of both institutions: Kinhaven’s immersive chamber music environment and CIM’s comprehensive conservatory education and commitment to preparing students for successful careers in music. 

The partnership began a two-year pilot program in 2025, with the Trillium Quartet in residence at CIM and offering coaching, lessons, and performances at Kinhaven. Building on this successful rollout, auditions are now underway for the next Kinhaven-CIM String Quartet, who will spend the 2027 fall semester in residence at Kinhaven in Weston, Vermont, followed by the 2028 spring semester at CIM in Cleveland, Ohio.

Throughout the year, the four Fellows will receive advanced musical training, mentorship from prominent artist-teachers, meaningful teaching experience, real-world performance opportunities, and professional development. The program is designed around the recognition that today’s musicians must be more than exceptional performers: They must also be effective educators, collaborators, communicators and community leaders. 

“The most comprehensive preparation for a career in music must extend beyond the practice room and the concert stage,” said Scott Harrison, CIM Executive Vice President and Provost. “The Kinhaven-CIM String Quartet Fellowship gives emerging professionals the opportunity to deepen their artistry while developing as teachers, collaborators, communicators and leaders.” 

“Kinhaven is thrilled to partner with the Cleveland Institute of Music on this Fellowship, which brings together two extraordinary musical communities with a shared commitment to developing the whole artist,” said Tony Mazzocchi, Kinhaven Co-Executive Director. “CIM offers an exceptional environment for emerging chamber musicians to take the next step in their development. Together, Kinhaven and CIM can offer these young artists something truly valuable: the opportunity to refine their artistry while gaining the pedagogical, collaborative and professional experience that will help them build meaningful careers and contribute to the future of classical music.” 

At CIM, Fellows will become part of the Institute’s vibrant musical community, working alongside faculty and students while gaining experience that connects their artistic development with the realities of a professional career. 

The Fellowship also extends beyond the four musicians selected to participate. Through teaching, mentoring, and performing at both institutions, members of the Kinhaven-CIM String Quartet will serve as artistic role models for students at the pre-collegiate and collegiate levels. Their engagement will create connections across multiple stages of musical development and inspire hundreds of students each year to pursue their own artistic dreams and potential. 

At its core, the Kinhaven-CIM String Quartet Fellowship reflects a shared belief that artistic excellence and career readiness should not exist separately. By preparing emerging artists not only to perform at the highest levels, but also to teach, lead, collaborate and contribute to the future of classical music, the Fellowship offers a comprehensive approach to postgraduate professional development.