Milena Pajaro-Van De Stadt

Praised for her “silky tone and beautiful, supple lines,” Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt has garnered recognition as a leading violist, performing as a soloist with the New York String Orchestra at Carnegie Hall and the Tokyo Philharmonic, among others. Her acclaimed 2011 Wigmore Hall debut was lauded for its “fleet and energetic” playing. As the founding violist of the twice-GRAMMY®-nominated Dover Quartet (2008–2022), she received numerous accolades, including First Prize and all special awards at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, and the 2010 Fischoff Grand Prize. The Dover Quartet also received the Cleveland Quartet Award and an Avery Fisher Career Grant. Pajaro-van de Stadt herself won First Prize at the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition. During her time with the Dover Quartet, she held faculty positions at The Curtis Institute of Music and Northwestern University’s Bienen School of Music and was part of the Kennedy Center’s Quartet in Residence. She is now a member of the piano quartet “Espressivo!”.