~Nois Quartet

Take your preconceptions of ‘noise’ and toss them out the window. Equal parts “fiendishly good and fiendishly goofy” (Chicago Tribune), ~Nois Quartet is a “prolific, charismatic young ensemble that is swiftly becoming the American saxophone quartet du jour” (Musical America). Founded in 2016, the Chicago-based ensemble is dedicated to championing new music for saxophone and building community through innovative, inclusive, and exceptional musical experiences. 

~Nois Quartet has presented over 200 performances in their 10 years of music-making, and has “continued to legitimize the saxophone quartet as a premier ensemble formation for classical music” (thank you Brutal New Music). Their performances have spanned 31 states, including invitations to perform at some of the top festivals and concert series in the nation, including LONG PLAY, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Princeton Sound Kitchen, and the University of Chicago Presents Series. As educators, the quartet has held residencies at some of the nation’s top academic institutions including the University of Chicago, Princeton University, Michigan State University, CU Boulder, and more. The ensemble has also been awarded top prizes at numerous prestigious chamber music competitions including the M-Prize International Arts Competition and the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. They were also selected as winners of the 2026 CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize and were once deemed, “too loud for the Farmers’ Market” (Evanston Local, Illinois 1st Ward Constituent).

As proud residents of Chicago, the ensemble members seek to serve the city through an annual season of self-presented concerts and programs. In the past nine seasons alone, ~Nois Quartet has presented over 60 world premieres by Chicago composers. Additionally, the group serves Chicago youth through their Young Creators Fellowship, which selects local high school-aged students each year to collaborate with the ensemble on new compositions. 

At the core of ~Nois Quartet’s ethos is a fierce dedication to the commissioning of living composers (bonus points if the piece needs an instruction manual to perform). With more than 150 world premieres to date, the members of the group have had the privilege of working closely with some of the world’s leading voices in composition to create new works for saxophone quartet, including Clarice Assad, Chris Cerrone, Viet Cuong, Alex Mincek, Jessie Montgomery, Nico Muhly, Shawn Okpebholo, Jeff Scott, Hans Thomalla, Augusta Read Thomas. They have had the honor of sharing the stage with Third Coast Percussion, Sō Percussion, My Brightest Diamond, Darian Donovan Thomas, and the United States Navy Band.

~Nois Quartet’s recorded output boasts a wide variety of genres and styles across more than a dozen albums. Most recently, the group released their genre-bending third album, “What is ~Nois”, on the label New Amsterdam Records. The album was featured on NPR’s “Best Albums out April 10th, 2026”, rated “four stars” (BBC Music Magazine), and heralded as “utterly gorgeous and gripping” (Cast The Dice). Their music can be heard on New Amsterdam, Cedille, New Focus, Carrier, Bright Shiny Things, Sawyer Editions, Better Company Records, and Records to Burn labels.

~Nois Quartet is János Csontos (he/him), Jordan Lulloff (he/him), Julian Velasco (he/him), and Natalia Warthen (she/her). The members are Yamaha Performing Artists and perform exclusively on Yamaha saxophones. For more information, please visit www.noisquartet.org.