co-presented with the International Violin Competition of Indianapolis

Program:
Mozart Piano Quartet in E-flat, K. 493
Nokuthula “Thula” Ngwnyama Newly Commissioned Work
Brahms Piano Quartet in G Minor, Op. 25

Four great artists with a passion for chamber music have formed an exciting new quartet that is bound to become an audience favorite.  Each of them is known for wonderfully expressive playing, so it seemed that ESPRESSIVO! was the perfect name for this new quartet of piano and strings.

For decades, violinist Jaime Laredo and cellist Sharon Robinson, together with their piano trio partner the late Joseph Kalichstein, were considered “chamber music royalty” (Washington Post). As a term that applies equally to their new ESPRESSIVO! collaborators, stellar violist Milena Pájaro-van de Stadt (formerly of the Dover Quartet) and award-winning pianist Anna Polonsky, are among chamber music’s most sought-after partners.

Jaime Laredo violin
Milena Pájaro-Van De Stadt viola
Sharon Robinson cello
Anna Polonsky piano

Visit the Espressivo! Piano Quartet website

Program:
Hayd Op. 20, No. 3
Mark-Anthony Turnage “Awake”
Schubert Quartet in G Major, D 887

Since its formation in 2011, the London-based Castalian Quartet has distinguished itself as one of the most dynamic, sophisticated young string quartets performing today. They are an Artist in Residence at the Wigmore Hall in London and are the inaugural Hans Keller String Quartet in Residence at the Oxford University Faculty of Music. The ensemble was named Young Artist of the Year at the 2019 Royal Philharmonic Society Awards.

The Castalian String Quartet’s 2022 release Between Two Words (Delphian Records), presenting music by Orlando di Lasso, Thomas Adès, Ludwig van Beethoven and John Dowland, received a double five-star review as a BBC Music Magazine ‘Album of the Month.’

Sini Simonen violin
Daniel Roberts violin
Ruth Gibson viola
Steffan Morris cello

Visit the Castalian String Quartet website

Program:
Mozart String Quartet in B-flat major, KV 589
Martinü String Quartet No.7
Smetana String Quartet No.1 “From My Life”

While a little later in 2024 than originally planned, we are pleased to welcome the Pavel Haas Quartet to the series schedule this season. The Quartet is revered across the globe for its richness of timbre, infectious passion, and intuitive rapport. Performing at the world’s most prestigious concert halls and winning five Gramophone Awards and numerous others for their recordings, Pavel Haas is firmly established as one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles.

Based in Prague, the Quartet studied with the late Milan Škampa, legendary violist of the Smetana Quartet. They take their name from the Czech-Jewish composer Pavel Haas (1899–1944) who was imprisoned at Theresienstadt in 1941 and tragically died at Auschwitz three years later. His legacy includes three wonderful string quartets.

Veronika Jarůšková violin
Marek Zwiebel violin
Šimon Truszka viola
Peter Jarůšek cello

Visit the Pavel Haas Quartet website

Program:
Viet Cuong Sextet for Winds and Piano
Poulenc Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano
Valerie Coleman Portraits of Langston, for flute, clarinet, piano, and narrator
Poulenc Sextet for Piano and Winds

Imani Winds is the 2024 GRAMMY® winner in the Classical Compendium category for Jeff Scott’s “Passion for Bach and Coltrane” released on their recently formed record label, Imani Winds Media.

Celebrating over a quarter century of music making, the three time GRAMMY® nominated group has led both a revolution and evolution of the wind quintet through their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations and outreach endeavors that have inspired audiences of all ages and backgrounds.

The ensemble’s playlist embraces traditional chamber music repertoire, and newly commissioned works from voices that reflect historical events and the times in which we currently live.

Brandon Patrick George flute
Toyin Spellman-Diaz oboe
Kevin Newton french horn
Mark Dover clarinet
Monica Ellis bassoon

Visit the Imani Winds website

Visit the Michelle Cann website

Program:
Shostakovich Quartet No. 7 in F-sharp Minor, Op. 108
Haydn Quartet in F Major, Op. 77, No. 2
Grieg Quartet No. 1 in G Minor, Op. 27

Goldmund Quartet is known to feature “exquisite playing” and such “multi-layered homogeneity” (Süddeutsche Zeitung) in its interpretations of the great classical and modern works of the quartet literature. Its inwardness, the unbelievably fine intonation and the phrases worked out down to the smallest detail inspire audiences worldwide.

The Quartet is now counted amongst the leading string quartets of the younger generation worldwide. 2023/24 season calendar highlights included the quartet’s debut at prestigious festivals such as Festival Dolomites, Settimane Musicali di Ascona and Viotti Festival in Vercelli, Italy. The ensemble will return to important halls such as Concertgebouw Amsterdam in a recital with pianist Fazil Say, to Tokyo Opera City as part of a tour of Japan as well as to the United States for a substantial tour to perform in Boston and many others. Further return visits lead the quartet to the renowned Hörtnagel series in Munich, Haus der Musik Innsbruck and Schwetzingen Festival.

Florian Schötz violin
Pinchas Adt violin
Christoph Vandory viola
Raphael Paratore cello

Visit the Goldmund String Quartet website

Program:
Beethoven String Quartet No. 13 in B flat major, Op. 130
Jörg Widmann String Quartet No. 8 (Beethoven-Study III)*
Cavatina - String Quartet No. 10 (Beethoven-Study V)*
Beethoven Grosse Fugue, Op. 133

*Commissioned by The Juilliard String Quartet

With unparalleled artistry and enduring vigor, the Juilliard String Quartet continues to inspire audiences around the world. Founded in 1946 and hailed by The Boston Globe as “the most important American quartet in history,” the ensemble draws on a deep and vital engagement to the classics, while embracing the mission of championing new works, a vibrant combination of the familiar and the daring. Each performance of the Juilliard String Quartet is a unique experience, bringing together the four members’ profound understanding, total commitment, and unceasing curiosity in sharing the wonders of the string quartet literature.

Areta Zhulla violin
Ronald Copes violin
Molly Carr viola
Astrid Schween cello

Visit the Juilliard String Quartet website