For more than four decades, the Emerson String Quartet has maintained its status as one of the world’s premier chamber music ensembles. “With musicians like this,” wrote a reviewer for The Times (London), “there must be some hope for humanity.” The Quartet has made more than 30 acclaimed recordings, and has been honored with nine GRAMMYs® (including two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, the Avery Fisher Prize, and Musical America’s “Ensemble of the Year” award. The Quartet collaborates with some of today’s most esteemed composers to premiere new works, keeping the string quartet form alive and relevant. The group has partnered in performance with such stellar soloists as Renée Fleming, Barbara Hannigan, Evgeny Kissin, Emanuel Ax, and Yefim Bronfman, to name a few.

BOARD PRESIDENT, NATIONAL SAWDUST

Photographer Jill Steinberg captures the intensity and spontaneity of live performance across opera, theater, dance, jazz, orchestral, chamber music, and film. Her work has been seen at venues worldwide, including The Kennedy Center, Barbican Centre, and Walt Disney Concert Hall, and published in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and on NASA’s website. A dedicated arts philanthropist and advocate, Steinberg is Board President of National Sawdust, which she helped found, and Board Chair of VisionIntoArt. She has also served on the boards of OPERA America and Heartbeat Opera. Her honors include induction into Marquis Who’s Who in America and recognition among the 2026 Distinguished Leaders Honorees and Influential Women of 2026.

NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION

Music for Autism is enhancing quality of life and raising public awareness through autism-friendly, interactive concerts developed specifically for individuals with autism and their families. The concerts feature professional musicians, drawing from our longstanding partnership with CAG, and include additional Tony Award winners, Grammy-winning classical artists, Pulitzer Prize winners, and others. To ensure equal access for all, every Music for Autism concert is fully subsidized. Families note that the concerts help fill a major psychosocial void, enabling them to enjoy enriching activities that are inclusive and to experience the joy and power of music as a family.