The Karuna Quartet was founded in 2025 at The Juilliard School. It consists of violinists Sophia Werner and Nicole Yun, violist Erin Emi Nishi and cellist Isabelle Nichols, and is mentored by Laurie Smukler and Merry Peckham. Passionate chamber musicians, the Karunas have attended festivals such as Norfolk, Kneisel Hall, The Perlman Music Program, Bowdoin and Verbier Academy, and have collaborated with members of the Brentano, St. Lawrence, Cavani, and Parker quartets among others. 

 The Karuna Quartet is passionate about interdisciplinary collaboration. In 2025, they were invited to collaborate with Juilliard Dance during "Opening Night" at Juilliard's Fall Festival. They performed Caroline Shaw's third Essay alongside the world premiere of Jamar Roberts' choreography From Root to Sky. As part of this opportunity, they had the privilege to work with Caroline Shaw herself. 

 In Fall of 2025, the Karuna Quartet was honored to present a program of Haydn, Brahms and Shaw as part of Juilliard's Rush Hour Performance concert series. 

The Karuna Quartet derives their name from the concept of Karuna, which, in the Sanskrit tradition, translates to "compassion." In Mahayana Buddhism, Karuna is not simply an emotion, but a practice—an intentional cultivation of empathy, understanding, and care for others. Guided by this principle, the Karuna Quartet embraces chamber music as a living practice of compassion.