Among the leading American string quartets, the Aeolus Quartet includes a strong educational component in its endeavors. The group often champions contemporary music, particularly American works.

The Aeolus Quartet was formed by cellist Alan Richardson at the Cleveland Institute of Music in 2008. The group was named for the Greek mythological figure who ruled the four winds encountered by Odysseus in the Odyssey epic. The quartet's current members are violinists Nicholas Taviani and Rachel Shapiro, violist Caitlin Lynch, and cellist Jia Kim; another former member is violist Gregory Luce. The members are graduates of the Juilliard School, the Cleveland Institute of Music, the University of Maryland, and the University of Texas at Austin. The Aeolus Quartet studied with some of the top string quartets on the American scene, including the Juilliard, Guarneri, and Miró Quartets, and they also number violinists Itzhak Perlman and Donald Weilerstein, among other prominent figures, as mentors. The group racked up awards such as first prize at the Coleman International Chamber Ensemble Competition and grand prizes at both the Plowman Chamber Music Competition and the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. The quartet released its debut album, Aeolus Quartet Performs Brahms & Bartók, in 2010 on the Longhorn Music label. From 2013 to 2015, the Aeolus Quartet was the Graduate Resident String Quartet at the Juilliard School.

The Aeolus Quartet has toured North America, Europe, and Asia, appearing at such top venues as Alice Tully Hall in New York, the church of St. Martin-in-the-Fields in London, and the Shanghai Oriental Arts Center. It was also featured on the streaming television miniseries The Defenders. The group stresses contemporary American music in its programming and has collaborated with such composers as John Corigliano, Keeril Makan, and Missy Mazzoli. The quartet gained wide attention as well for collaborative performances with the Spectrum Dance Theater and the Mark Morris Dance Group. The Aeolus Quartet has released several albums on the Azica label under the aegis of its Many-Sided Music project, including Ariel and Other Poems (2021). The quartet has undertaken a variety of educational initiatives, including performances in communities throughout the state of Texas through the Rural Chamber Music Outreach Initiative, and it has won several awards for its educational works. The group has served as teaching faculty at the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan, the Austin Chamber Music Workshop, and Stanford University's Education Program for Gifted Youth. ~ James Manheim