Joel Link Appointed Concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra; Dover Quartet to Stay Together
The Cleveland Orchestra announced Thursday that Music Director Franz Welser-Möst has appointed violinist Joel Link as the orchestra’s new concertmaster, effective July 3.
Violinist Joel Link. Photo by Roy Cox.
Link will hold the Blossom-Lee Concertmaster Chair, which was endowed by Mrs. John A. Lee in 1975 in honor of her parents Mr. and Mrs. Dudley Blossom, Sr., whose name also graces the Blossom Music Center, the Cleveland Orchestra's summer home.
"I’m absolutely thrilled to be joining the Cleveland Orchestra as concertmaster — it’s an incredible honor to become part of such a storied and venerated institution," Link said. "For generations, this orchestra has stood as a standard bearer for orchestral excellence, and it’s profoundly meaningful to now become part of that legacy. At the same time, I’m deeply grateful to continue my work with the Dover Quartet, which has been essential to my growth as an artist, and I look forward to bringing that ongoing creative energy and commitment to both of these extraordinary musical homes."
Link is the first violinist of the Dover Quartet, which is currently the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music. He will continue to perform with the Dover Quartet while serving as concertmaster, as will the quartet's violist, Julianne Lee, who had previously announced she would be leaving the quartet after this season. Lee will return to the Boston Symphony Orchestra this summer as Assistant Principal Second Violin, but she also will remain in the quartet.
The Dover Quartet issued a statement Thursday expressing that "we can't imagine not making music together. Today, we are overjoyed to announce that we are staying together in our current configuration," which includes Link, Lee, violinist Bryan Lee and cellist Camden Shaw. "We’re committed to playing chamber music at the highest level, without compromise. We’re committed to sustaining the passion, vibrancy, excitement, and musical excellence we share with you every time we take the stage. We will focus our performances in tour periods that allow us to balance our individual pursuits, while continuing to perform as the Dover Quartet at the highest artistic level."
Link is an active soloist and chamber musician who has earned top prizes at numerous competitions, including the Johansen International Competition and the Yehudi Menuhin International Violin Competition. As a member of the Dover Quartet, Link won first prize and all special awards at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, as well as the gold medal and grand prize at the 2010 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The Quartet’s many accolades include the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award. Their catalogue includes two Grammy-nominated recordings: The Schumann Quartets and Beethoven Complete String Quartets, Volume 2 – The Middle Quartets.
A graduate of both the Curtis Institute of Music and Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, Link studied with violinists Joseph Silverstein, Pamela Frank, and Frank Huang. Link plays a Peter Guarneri of Mantua violin, generously loaned to him by Irene R. Miller through the Beare’s International Violin Society.
"Joel is an exceptional violinist and an outstanding musician. He has a chamber music approach to leadership and ensemble playing, which lends itself very well to this Orchestra," Welser-Möst said. "I very much look forward to working with him."
You might also like:
- For the Record, Op. 264: Dover Quartet's Complete Beethoven Quartets
- Julianne Lee Is Named New Violist of the Dover Quartet
- Fiddler's Favorite Recipes Episode 26: Joel Link's 20th Century Boy Cocktail
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Replies
As Paul says, this sounds like a big commitment: a first class orchestra and a top quality quartet. Congratulations and good luck to Joel!
Vineta Sareika, the amazing 1st violinist of the Artemis Quartet of Berlin, left the quartet to join the Berlin Phil (and became a concertmaster) -- but has now resigned after a short stay.
Link should have a better chance of sticking with Cleveland. First of all he has great orchestra chops -- he was concertmaster of the orchestra at Curtis, which is a great honor. His style of playing is precise, elegant, not flamboyant -- he could be a great fit with Cleveland's tradition under Welser-Most as an orchestra that's supremely sensitive and listens to each other.
I think all the statements about Dover continuing with him are brave, but his availability will be VERY limited. Either Dover continues at a MUCH less intense level of performing/recording, or hard choices will have to be made in the next year or two.
To me what really made Dover so special were Bryan Lee and Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, who were the strongest middle voices in a quartet this side of Michael Tree and John Dalley. They can rebuild Dover, if they have to, around Bryan and Camden, but it won't be easy.
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May 16, 2025 at 04:06 AM · Wow. That's big news. Congratulations to Link. I hope he can keep the Dovers together as they really are a great quartet. But I can also understand the allure of an actual salary with fringes.
The Rolston Quartet seems to have disbanded when Luri Lee joined the Toronto Symphony as Assistant CM. Their violist (and Lee's husband) Hez Leung went to play with Dover for a spell.