Toomai String Quintet

Hamptons JazzFest presents the Toomai String Quintet at Southampton Arts Center — a performance blending global musical traditions with jazz improvisation, classical influences, and rhythmic interplay, creating a richly textured sound shaped by contemporary composition and cross-cultural collaboration.

Formed in 2007 at The Juilliard School, the Toomai String Quintet is an award-winning ensemble devoted to playing a variety of musical traditions from around the world, creating its own string arrangements, and commissioning new works. The quintet is named after Rudyard Kipling’s short story ‘Toomai of the Elephants,’ reflecting their spirit of curiosity and discovery in searching for diverse music to share with audiences.
The ensemble has performed at Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, and the Kennedy Center, and was a pilot ensemble for Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections program. Central to Toomai’s mission is the expansion of the Latin American repertoire for string ensemble — the quintet has arranged or commissioned over 20 works by Latin American composers. Their 2024 album Passos Brasileiros (Brazilian Steps) celebrates Brazil’s vibrant musical legacy through choro, samba, Brazilian jazz, and classical music.
Quintet members are violinists Emilie-Anne Gendron and Alex Fortes, violist George Meyer, cellist Hamilton Berry, and bassist Andrew Roitstein — world-class musicians and passionate educators who combine artistry and engagement to create highly interactive concerts for audiences of all backgrounds.