The Katarina String Quartet was founded in 2022 at McGill University. It is is made up of Maya Enstad, cello, Celia Morin, viola, Jeanel Liang, violin and Jérôme Chiasson, violin.
They are Grand Prize winners of the 2025 Fischoff Chamber Music Competition and winners of the CAG Louis and Susan Meisel Prize.
The ensemble also served as the 2024-2026 Graduate Resident String Quartet at The Juilliard School, and is the current Quartet in Residence at the New England Conservatory.
This summer, they are the last of three ensembles performing with Classical IPR's Sound Garden Project.
You can find out more about each member of the quartet by listening to interviews they gave with Classical IPR hosts Christy L'Esperance, Amanda Sewell and Emma Stadelmann.
Maya Enstad
Hailing from Bellingham, Washington, cellist Maya Enstad is a graduate of the Oberlin Conservatory of Music and the Schulich School of Music where she studied with Amir Eldan and Elizabeth Dolin. Maya has appeared as a soloist at the Bellingham Festival of Music’s “Welcome Home” concert series, as well as with the BayShore Symphony. She has held fellowship positions at the Marrowstone Music Festival and at Bamfield’s Music by the Sea. An avid teacher, Maya has taught privately for 8 years, as well as at the Asociación Nacional de Conciertos in Panama City, Panama. Maya plays on an 1898 Carl Zach cello, generously on loan to her from the Carlsen Cello Foundation.
Celia Morin
Celia Morin recently completed an Artist Diploma in Viola Performance at McGill University under the tutelage of André Roy, where she previously earned a Bachelor of Music in Violin Performance with Jinjoo Cho. Displaying a natural musical intuition from an early age, Celia showcased her talents as a soloist with the Lakeshore Chamber Orchestra and embarked on a Canadian chamber music tour at the age of 14. Subsequently, she has enriched her musical journey by participating in summer festivals including the Domaine Forget International Music Festival, ENCORE Summer Academy, Orford Music Academy, and the National Youth Orchestra of Canada. Celia finds inspiration in chamber music projects that foster sustainability and community building through local performances and is working with her quartet to realize such projects in the future.
Jeanel Liang
Canadian violinist Jeanel Liang has appeared on stages across North America and Europe. She is a recent graduate of the Schulich School of Music at McGill University where she studied under the tutelage of Violaine Melancon and Axel Strauss. As a soloist, she has appeared with the Sooke Philharmonic Orchestra, the University of Victoria Symphony, and the McGill Baroque Orchestra. She has been a finalist at the Prix d'Europe and the Canadian Music Competition, and a semi-finalist at the Golden Violin Award. Jeanel has been a fellow at various music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, IMS Prussia Cove, MISQA, Mozarteum Summer Academy, Aspen Music Festival and School, Domaine Forget and QuartetFest West. Jeanel plays on a 1700 Carlo of Bologna Tononi violin, and a Hermann Luger bow, generously loaned by Canimex Inc.
Jérôme Chiasson
Originally from Quebec City, violinist Jérôme has performed across North America and Europe, and has been awarded several prizes and distinctions, most notably at the Prix d’Europe, the Golden Violin Award, the Canadian Music Competition Stepping- Stone, as well as the Festival-Concours de Musique in Sorel-Tracy and Sherbrooke. Jérôme has attended renowned music festivals such as Kneisel Hall, IMS Prussia Cove, Mozarteum Sommerakademie, and MISQA. He has had the opportunity to work with esteemed violinists such as Midori, Gerhard Schulz, Zakhar Bron, Pierre Amoyal, Pavel Vernikov, Cho Liang Lin, Kerson Leong, Paul Kantor, and Vadim Gluzman. Jérôme holds a Bachelor’s Degree and a Graduate Diploma in Violin Performance from the Schulich School of Music at McGill University where he studied under the tutelage of Violaine Melançon. Jérôme plays on an 1858 Jean Baptiste Vuillaume violin and a François Nicolas Voirin bow, graciously loaned by Canimex Inc.
