Founded at Duke University in 1965 by the renowned Italian violinist Giorgio Ciompi, the Quartet includes members of Duke’s faculty:  violinists Eric Pritchard and Hsiao-mei Ku, violist Jonathan Bagg, and cellist Fred Raimi.  In addition to playing a leading role in the cultural life of the University, the Ciompi Quartet travels widely throughout the year for performances that have included hundreds of concerts spanning five continents.  The repertoire ranges from well-known masterpieces to works by today’s composers, which the Ciompi Quartet performs in the world’s famous halls as well as important festivals.  Their numerous CDs appear on the CRI, Arabesque, Albanyu, Gasparo, and Sheffield Lab labels.  Because the Ciompi members excel as communicators, they are frequent choices for residences in many settings.  The Quartet has developed a reputation for performances with a warm, unified sound that is enhanced by each player’s strong individual voice.