Astera String Quartet is comprised of merit scholarship recipients and fellows of the Music Institute of Chicago (MIC) Academy. The members include 17 year old violinist Hannah White, 16 year old violinist Ria Honda, 18 year old violist Kayla Cabrera, and 18 year old cellist Annamarie Wellems. The quartet is coached by Sang Mee Lee and Roland Vamos.
This year, Astera has been awarded gold medals at the M-Prize Competition, the Saint Paul String Quartet Competition, and the International Enkor Competition.