The Berkelium String Quartet is a new chamber ensemble of celebrated Bay Area musicians, founded in September 2024. While they don’t yet have accolades as the Berkelium String Quartet, the members have impressive careers. They hold degrees from Yale University, Juilliard School of Music, UC Berkeley, Cleveland Institute of Music, and Bern Conservatory of Music. They perform with SF Symphony, SF Opera, SF Ballet, SF Chamber Orchestra, New Century Chamber Orchestra, Oakland Symphony, and hold principal positions with Berkeley Symphony, Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera, Santa Rosa Symphony, and West Edge Opera.

They have taught at UC Berkeley, UC Davis, SF State, Mills College, and The Crowden School. These musicians have performed solo and chamber performances across the US and Europe, and collectively, they have premiered hundreds of new works. Their primary focus as the Berkelium String Quartet will be the seminal works of the string quartet repertoire, with a special focus on the sixteen Beethoven Quartets.

Dan lives in Berkeley and teaches at UC Berkeley, Karen earned her BA from UC Berkeley, Jacob grew up in Berkeley, and Mike occasionally eats in Berkeley.

Dan Flanagan combines orchestral leadership with intimate chamber music artistry as a member of the Berkelium Quartet. Currently serving as Concertmaster of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera and Instructor of Violin at UC Berkeley, he brings a wealth of performance experience to the ensemble. His chamber music collaborations include prestigious organizations, such as the Chamber Music Society of Sacramento, Oregon Bach Festival, and Earplay, alongside work with celebrated artists Leon Fleisher and Jon Nakamatsu. As a champion of new music, evidenced by his “The Bow and the Brush” project featuring 23 commissioned works, Flanagan contributes to the quartet’s commitment to both traditional and contemporary repertoire. He performs on a 1840 JB Vuillaume violin previously owned by American virtuoso Albert Spalding.

A familiar face on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene, Karen Shinozaki Sor (violin) is the Principal Second Violin of the Santa Rosa Symphony. She also performs with the Marin Symphony and as a regular substitute in the San Francisco Ballet and Opera Orchestras. As a founding member of the Grammy-nominated New Century Chamber Orchestra, she has concertized across Europe and the United States. Karen is a frequent chamber music collaborator, appearing with diverse groups including the Santa Rosa Chamber Players, Music at the Mission, and the Sor Ensemble.

A Bay Area native, she received her BA from UC Berkeley as a student of Serban Rusu of Tiburon, then continued her studies as a recipient of a Hertz Traveling Fellowship at the Konservatorium für Musik Bern, Switzerland, with Professor Igor Ozim.

Jacob Hansen-Joseph (viola) has a varied career as a freelance musician in his native Bay Area. Aside from appearing with many regional symphony orchestras and with touring Broadway productions, he is a founding member of the Oakland-based Town Quartet, the unofficial resident string quartet of Oakland, CA. He has been a member of the Schleswig-Holstein, Glimmerglass, and Spoletto festival orchestras as well as the orchestra of the New York City Ballet. He is currently principal violist of the Sacramento Philharmonic and Opera and assistant principal violist of the Berkeley Symphony. Joseph has performed in chamber music recitals with members of the Juilliard String Quartet, the Claremont Trio, and with pianist Alon Goldstein and violist Toby Appel, as well as sharing the stage with notable artists such as Johnny Mathis, The Eagles, The Moody Blues, and Nick Cave, among others.

He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard in the studio of Toby Appel.

Michael Graham (cello) performs with the Oakland Symphony, the San Francisco Ballet, the New Century Chamber Orchestra, Vitamin Em, in San Francisco productions of Broadway musicals, and on tour with singer/songwriter Van Morrison. He has taught and coached at Mills College, San Francisco State University, California State University East Bay, Sacramento State University, Santa Clara University, and the Crowden School. His students have included members, principal cellists, and concerto soloists with the Young People’s Chamber Orchestra and the Young People’s Symphony Orchestra, and the San Francisco Youth Orchestra.