Concord String Quartet

The Concord String Quartet was an American string quartet established in 1971, consisting of Mark Sokol and Andrew "Andy" Jennings on violins; John Kochánowski on viola; and Norman Fischer on cello. The group formed after its members, who had studied or played with Robert Mann of the Juilliard Quartet, met at a summer program for nascent string quartets at SUNY Binghamton. Their breakthrough came with the release of their award-winning albums of contemporary quartets, establishing them as champions of American music. Notable albums include The Avant Garde String Quartet in the USA (1973) and String Quartets Nos. 1 & 2 (1975). They performed over 1,100 concerts across multiple countries and won two Emmy Awards in 1977 for their PBS broadcast "The Concord String Quartet Plays Bartok and Haydn". The quartet performed its last concert on May 15, 1987 and disbanded following the 1986–87 concert season to pursue individual teaching and performing activities.