The Miro Quartet
September 22, 2013

The Miro Quartet, founded in 1995 at the Oberlin Conserva- tory, in addition to a mastery of the standard repertoire, main- tains a fierce devotion to contemporary music. The Miro is Faculty String Quartet-in-Residence at the Sarah and Ernest Butler School of Music at the University of Texas at Austin.

Daniel Ching, John Largess, William Fedkenjeuer, and Joshua Gindele.

The quartet is named for the Spanish artist Joan Miro, whose surrealist works—with subject matter drawn from the realm of memory and imaginative fantasy—are some of the most origi- nal of the twentieth century.

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The Parker Quartet
November 3, 2013

The Parker Quartet began its professional touring career in 2002 and garnered international acclaim in 2005, winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France. In 2009, Chamber Music America awarded them the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award for the 2009–2011 seasons. The Parker was Quartet-in-Residence with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra from 2008 through 2010 and the first-ever Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio for the 2009–2010 season. This year, they will be in residence at the University of Minnesota, working with chamber music students.

Daniel Chong, Jessica Bodner, Karen Kim, and Kee-Hyun Kim.

The quartet’s members hold graduate degrees in performance and chamber music from the New England Conservatory of Music and were part of its prestigious Professional String Quartet Training Program.

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The Horszowski Piano Trio
February 9, 2014

When they played together for the first time the Horszowski Piano Trio, immediately felt the spark of a unique connection. Many years of close friendship had created a deep trust between the players, which in turn led to exhilarating ex- pressive freedom. And so, in 2011, they formed the Horszowski (Hor-SHOV-ski) Trio.

Jesse Mills, Rieko Aizawa, and Raman Ramakrishnan.

In 2012 they were appointed the Ensemble-in-Residence at Electric Earth Concerts in New Hampshire. Based in New York City, the members of the trio teach at Columbia University and the Longy School of Music of Bard College in Boston.

 

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The New York Polyphony
March 16, 2014

New York Polyphony is an all-male vocal quartet that applies not only refined musicianship and interpretative detail but also a refreshingly modern touch to repertoire ranging from austere medieval melodies to cutting-edge contemporary works. Dedication to innovative programming, as well as a focus on rare and rediscovered early music, have earned New York Polyphony critical accolades and a devoted following.

Christopher Dylan Herbert, baritone, Craig Phillips, bass, Geoffrey Williams, countertenor, and Steven Caldicott Wilson, tenor.

It has been featured on Danish Public Radio, American Public Radio, and NPR’s All Things Considered. Since its founding in 2006, New York Polyphony has maintained an active performance schedule.

Our Season to Date

The CMYS 2012–13 season opened with the Afiara String Quartet playing Beethoven’s Quartet No. 5 in A major, Op.18, no. 3. This piece is full of familiar melodies and is light and harmonious. Both this piece and the Quartet No. 9 in C Ma- jor, Op. 59, no. 3 feature the minuet (menuetto) with lilting dance rhythms, and offer strong parts to the viola, which was Beethoven’s instrument. The last movement of Op. 59, no.3 was very fast-paced, almost galloping to the end. The third piece in this program was very modern, Quartet No. 2 by Brett Abigaña, composed in 2010. It is also a very personal piece for the Afiara since it is dedicated to the memory of the vio- list’s mother. The second movement, a lullaby, was particularly touching and appropriate as a tribute to a mother.

The Amsterdam-based Calefax Reed Quintet performed the second concert of the season. Their energy was outstand- ing! The program included several contemporary pieces—Entre! composed by Mayke Nas in 2002 and Compel by Graham Fitkin from 2010. A sixteenth-century piece originally for organ, arranged by the quintet’s bass clarinetist, provided inter- esting variety for this program. The concert closed with J. S. Bach’s Goldberg Variations, arranged for reeds by the Calefax Quintet’s saxophonist. This piece, familiar to many, played by reeds instead of a harpsichord, allowed one to hear well the many voices of the instruments and the progressions of the variations. It was a perfect choice to close the concert.

The Vienna Piano Trio wowed our audience at their February concert, with a sparkling performance of Haydn’s Piano Trio in C major and Beethoven’s Trio Op. 79, no. 2.

Vienna Piano Trio

They finished with the less-known, but ravishingly beautiful, Saints-Saëns Trio no. 2. The standing ovation was well deserved.