The Vermeer Quartet was a string quartet founded in 1969 at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont. Based in Chicago, the group included notable members such as Shmuel Ashkenasi and Pierre Menard on violins, Scott Nikrenz on viola, and Richard Sher on cello. Their early career involved extensive touring across North and South America, Europe, the Far East, and Australia. In 1970, they became resident artist faculty at Northern Illinois University, where they trained several notable ensembles including the Shanghai String Quartet and the Pacifica String Quartet. The Vermeer Quartet released numerous albums throughout their career, including Beethoven: String Quartets (2004), Tchaikovsky: String Quartets Nos. 1 & 3 (2005), and Beethoven: Late String Quartets (2006). They received Grammy nominations for their recordings of Shostakovich and Schnittke piano quintets in 2003, and the six Bartók quartets in 2005. The group disbanded in 2007.
![Beethoven : String Quartets Nos 1 - 16 [Complete]](https://cdn-images.dzcdn.net/images/cover/ed37ab026697574d0d791e3df6c9d6e4/120x120-000000-80-0-0.jpg)
