The Ironwood Quartet brings together violinists Jessica Linnebach and Emily Kruspe, violist Carissa Klopoushak, and cellist Rachel Mercer — four distinctive Canadian musicians whose home base is Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. Founded in 2014 and performing in its current formation since 2022, Ironwood has become one of Canada’s premiere chamber music ensembles.
Formed through a deep commitment to the string quartet repertoire and a strong artistic rapport, the ensemble performs with focus, energy, and clarity. Ironwood appears regularly at the National Arts Centre, including the WolfGANG and Music for a Sunday Afternoon series, is in residence at Ottawa Chamberfest, and has been a guest at Toronto Summer Music as well as festivals and chamber series across Canada.
The quartet’s programming balances the core repertoire with contemporary voices, with particular dedication to music by women composers. Whether performing established masterworks or new works, Ironwood approaches each program with seriousness, curiosity, and a clear sense of collective purpose.
Recent seasons have brought collaborations with artists including Inon Barnatan, Jamie Parker, Jon Kimura Parker, Yura Lee, Philip Chiu, Élisabeth Pion, Bryan Cheng, and Sarah Slean, alongside performances of repertoire ranging from Haydn, Beethoven, Schubert, and Ravel to music by Arvo Pärt, Jessie Montgomery, Kevin Lau, and other composers of today.
Ironwood has performed across Canada and internationally, with appearances at Ritornello, Musique Royale, Indian River Festival, Classical Unbound, GroundSwell, and in Paris. The 2026–27 season includes an appearance at Les Concerts Ponticello in Gatineau and an early-2027 recital tour through southern Ontario.
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Updated August 2026 — please discard earlier biographies.
Jessica Linnebach, violin
Canadian violinist of German and Lebanese ancestry, Jessica Linnebach has established herself as an accomplished artist with a thriving multi-faceted career encompassing solo, chamber, and orchestral performances.
Known for her “burnt caramel sound, utterly fearless virtuosity… and romantic lyricism” (ARTSFILE), Jessica has performed as a soloist with orchestras around the world. A passionate chamber musician, Jessica is a member of the Ironwood String Quartet along with her NAC Orchestra colleagues Emily Kruspe, Carissa Klopoushak, and Rachel Mercer. They are frequent performers at chamber music series and festivals, including the NAC’s WolfGANG and Music for a Sunday Afternoon series and Ottawa Chamberfest, Pontiac Enchanté, Ritornello, and Classical Unbound festivals. As part of a commitment to reaching broader audiences, Jessica is one of the artistic directors of the Classical Unbound Festival, a chamber music festival in Prince Edward County, Ontario.
Accepted to the world-renowned Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia at age ten, Jessica remains one of the youngest-ever Bachelor of Music graduates in the school’s history. While there, Jessica’s primary teachers were Aaron Rosand, Jaime Laredo, and Ida Kavafian. At age 18, she received her Master of Music from the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, where she studied with Pinchas Zukerman and Patinka Kopec.
Jessica resides in Ottawa, where she has been Associate Concertmaster with the NAC Orchestra since 2010. A natural leader, Jessica has performed numerous times as guest concertmaster with the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra.
Jessica plays a circa 1840 Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (Guarnerius del Gésu 1737) violin. Her bows are crafted by Ron Forrester and Michael Vann.
Emily Kruspe, violin
Toronto-born violinist Emily Kruspe has a great love for musical collaborations, chamber music, harmony, and rhythmic groove. She has performed extensively throughout North America and Europe, most notably with the Rolston String Quartet from 2018 to 2020. Emily regularly performs with the Toronto-based ARC Ensemble and is featured on its newest CD, Chamber Works by Alberto Hemsi. Her love of chamber music stems from festivals she attended in her youth: Yellow Barn, the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival, the Banff International String Quartet Festival, and the Domaine Forget Chamber Music Festival. As an orchestral musician, Emily has performed with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra, and the Canadian Opera Company Orchestra. She was a winner of the Glenn Gould School’s Concerto Competition and the University of Toronto Concerto Competition, a recipient of the Orford String Quartet Award, and was previously a CBC Young Artist. In 2018, she was named one of CBC Music’s 30 hot Canadian classical musicians under 30.
Emily completed her undergraduate studies at the University of Toronto under Erika Raum, received an Artist Diploma from the Glenn Gould School under Paul Kantor and Barry Shiffman, and studied at the Colburn School with Martin Beaver. She was a 2017–2018 fellow of the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program at the Royal Conservatory in Toronto and was subsequently awarded a violin from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. Emily has been a proud member of the National Arts Centre Orchestra since October 2022 and plays with the Ironwood Quartet, composed of NACO colleagues Jessica Linnebach, Carissa Klopoushak, and Rachel Mercer. When she isn’t playing music, she can be found cycling, teaching, and walking her cats, Figaro and Rosie, around the perimeter of her house repeatedly.
Carissa Klopoushak, viola
Carissa Klopoushak has made a name for herself as a curious, creative, and versatile musician. A violinist, violist, chamber musician, orchestral player, and curator, her playing has been described as “the complete package of sensitive musicianship and effortless technique” (E-Gré Competition). Based in Ottawa, Canada, she is a violinist with the National Arts Centre Orchestra, violist of the Ironwood Quartet, and serves as Artistic Director of Ottawa Chamberfest.
A passionate collaborator, Carissa has appeared at chamber music festivals across Canada and toured extensively in recital for Debut Atlantic and as winner of the 2009 Eckhardt-Gramatté National Music Competition. She joined the Australian Chamber Orchestra for tours, residencies, and recordings during the 2013/14 season, and has performed with artists including Jon Kimura Parker, Inon Barnatan, Lara St. John, Mark Fewer, Martin Beaver, Miloš Karadaglić, and Richard Reed Parry.
Carissa’s love of chamber music extends naturally into creation and curation. In addition to leading Ottawa Chamberfest, she co-founded Saskatoon’s Ritornello Chamber Music Festival and has served as co-director of Classical Unbound in Prince Edward County.
Deeply connected to Ukrainian music and culture, Carissa is also lead singer, violinist, and arranger of the Ukrainian turbo-folk band Тут і Там. She holds a doctorate in violin performance from McGill University, where her research focused on the little-known classical violin repertoire of Ukrainian composers.
Her debut recording, SOUNDWORLDS, with pianist Philip Chiu, was released in 2016. Whether performing, programming, researching, or creating, Carissa is driven by curiosity and a belief in music’s ability to connect people, traditions, and ideas.
When not making music, Carissa can be found spinning vinyl, spending time with her wife Emily Kruspe and their cats Fig and Rosie, or expanding her love of coffee in some little café somewhere.
Rachel Mercer, cello
Described as a “pure chamber musician” (Globe and Mail), creating “moments of pure magic” (Toronto Star), Canadian cellist Rachel Mercer has appeared as a soloist and chamber musician across five continents.
The grand prize-winner of the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam, Rachel is Principal Cello of the NAC Orchestra in Ottawa and Co-Artistic Director of the “5 at the First” Chamber Music Series. Rachel plays with the Mercer-Park Duo, the Seiler Trio, and the Ironwood Quartet, and was cellist of the Juno award–winning piano quartet Ensemble Made in Canada (2008–2020), the St. John-Mercer-Park Trio (2021–2024), the AYR Trio (2010–2020), and the Aviv Quartet (2002–2010). Rachel also enjoys regularly working with the younger generation of musicians worldwide, in-person and online, through masterclasses, workshops, mentoring, and idea-sharing.
An advocate for new Canadian music, Rachel has commissioned and premiered over 30 works, including cello concertos by Stewart Goodyear and Kevin Lau, as well as solo and chamber works by Vivian Fung, Andrew Downing, Alice Ho, David Braid, Kelly Marie-Murphy, John Burge, Rebekah Cummings, and Jocelyn Morlock. Recent chamber and solo albums include the 2026 Juno Award-winning album Kimiko’s Pearl (Bravo Niagara, with music by Kevin Lau), the Juno-nominated Kevin Lau: Under a Veil of Stars (Leaf Music), Our Strength, Our Song (Centrediscs, with music by six Canadian women), John Burge: One Sail (Naxos), and Alice Ho: Mascarada (Centrediscs). In 2012, Rachel released the complete J.S. Bach Suites (Pipistrelle), recorded on the 1696 Bonjour Stradivarius Cello from the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank. Rachel currently plays a 17th-century cello from Northern Italy.