Carducci String Quartet
Francois Chouchan, Piano

Matthew Denton, violin,
Michelle Fleming, violin
Eoin Schmidt-Martin, viola
Emma Denton, cello

The Carducci Quartet is recognised as one of today most successful young string quartets. Based in the UK, the quartet holds residencies at Cardiff University and Dean Close School and is visiting quartet in residence at Trinity College of Music in London, Repton School and the Cork School of Music in Ireland. Regulars at London Wigmore Hall, they perform throughout the UK, including their own festival in Highnam, Glos.

Winners of many competitions at home and abroad, the Anglo-Irish Carducci quartet has established an enthusiastic international following with over 90 concerts worldwide each year. In 2009-10 there were tours of Spain, Ireland, Colombia, Australia and the USA, including New York, San Francisco and Los Angeles . Other appearances include at Carnegie Hall, Washington Library of Congress, Tivoli Concert Hall, National Concert Hall, Dublin and the Verbier, West Cork and Wratislavia Cantans Festivals.

Among the highlights of 2011 will be the world premiere of a new quartet by Arlene Sierra, in Stanford USA and the UK premiere at the Cheltenham International Festival in July, collaborations with Charles Owen, Natalie Clein, Simon Rowland-Jones and Libor Novacek and as the guest quartet at the Trasimeno Music Festival in Italy this summer, performances will include the Elgar Quintet with pianist Angela Hewitt.

The The Carducci Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Monday, October 24, 2011
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, October 25, 2011
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, October 26, 2011
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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Shanghai String Quartet

Weigang Li, violin,
Yi-Wen Jiang, violin
Honggang Li, viola
Nicholas Tzavaras, cello

“The whole performance was superb.- The New York Times

Renowned for its passionate musicality, impressive technique and multicultural innovations, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world's foremost chamber ensembles. Its elegant style melds the delicacy of Eastern music with the emotional breadth of Western repertoire, allowing it to traverse musical genres from traditional Chinese folk music and masterpieces of Western music to cutting-edge contemporary works.

Formed at the Shanghai Conservatory in 1983, the Shanghai Quartet has worked with the world's most distinguished artists and regularly tours the major music centers of Europe, North America and Asia. Recent performances have ranged from the International Music Festivals of Seoul and Beijing to the Festival Pablo Casals in France, Terra Magica Festival in Croatia, Yerevan Festival in Armenia and Cartagena International Music Festival in Colombia, as well as numerous concerts in all regions of North America. The Quartet has appeared at Carnegie Hall in chamber performances and with orchestra, and in 2006 gave the premiere of Takuma Itoh's Concerto for Quartet and Orchestra in Carnegie Hall's Isaac Stern Auditorium. Among innumerable collaborations with noted artists, they have performed with the Tokyo, Juilliard and Guarneri Quartets, Yo-Yo Ma, Lynn Harrell, Menahem Pressler, Peter Serkin, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Chanticleer.

Tthe Shanghai Quartet's 25th anniversary season in 2008-9 included appearances at the Ravinia, Tanglewood and Ottawa International Festivals, New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art, as well as residencies at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival and the Oregon Bach Festival. The anniversary featured world premieres from the three continents that comprise its artistic and cultural worlds: Penderecki's String Quartet No. 3: Leaves From an Unwritten Diary, Chen Yi's From the Path of Beauty, jazz pianist Dick Hyman's String Quartet, and String Quartet No. 2 by Vivian Fung. The Penderecki String Quartet premiered in November 2008 at a special concert in Poland honoring the composer's 75th birthday, followed by U.S. Premieres at Montclair State University and the Modlin Center, University of Richmond and numerous subsequent performances. Chen Yi's From the Path of Beauty, commissioned with Chanticleer, was premiered in San Francisco, Dick Hyman's work at the Modlin Center, and Vivian Fung's at the Smithsonian Institution's Freer Gallery of Art, where the Shanghai Quartet has appeared annually for many years.

The Shanghai Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Monday, November 28, 2011
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, November 29, 2011
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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Carpe Diem
String Quartet

Charles Wetherbee, violin
John Ewing, violin
Korine Fujiwara, violin
Kristin Ostling, cello

Carpe Diem String Quartet is an exciting group that has captured the imagination of audiences, the respect of critics, and is becoming one of the most versatile ensembles of their generation. Carpe Diem has earned critical acclaim with innovative programs, electrifying performances, and a passion for audience engagement.

Carpe Diem continues several ambitious projects, including the complete recordings of the nine string quartets of Sergey Taneyev on the Naxos label. The quartet continues its collaboration with Columbus Dance Theater; and their joint project "The String Machine was aired by WOSU-PBS television through 2007-2008. Carpe Diem has created an exciting program with international accordion and bandoneon performer Peter Soave, Viva Piazzolla. This program was featured in June 2008 at the prestigious Fontana Music Festival. This season, Carpe Diem is launching a dynamic new concert series in Columbus called Seize The Music.

The quartet is committed to changing the concert experience of chamber music. Using innovative programming, thematic concerts, and popular music for younger generations; cameras, and video to assist in the visual presentation; as well as speaking from the stage to better engage the audience; Carpe Diem is bringing new audiences into the concert hall and revitalizing the chamber music recital. The quartet is dedicated to giving back to the community, and has created two new programs, MusiCare, and Music Goes To School, that will enable Carpe Diem to bring music to everyone in the Central Ohio area, regardless of their means or circumstances.

The Carpe Diem String Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Monday, February 6, 2012
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, February 7, 2012
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, February 8, 2012
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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Borromeo String Quartet

Nicholas Kitchen, violin
Kristopher Tong, violin
Mai Motobuchi, viola
Yeesun Kim, cello

Audiences around the world respond with exhilaration to what the critics call the "razor sharp intensity" and "heart stopping" performances of the award-winning Borromeo String Quartet. Quickly establishing itself as one of the most important string quartets performing today, Borromeo String Quartet has been hailed by The New York Times as "outstanding" and the Boston Globe as "simply the best there is". During the 2008-2009 season, the Borromeo Quartet will perform over 100 concerts in major venues across three continents. Highlights of the season include engagements in New York, Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, as well as international tours of Europe and Asia.

The Borromeo String Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m

Monday, March 5, 2012
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, March 6, 2012
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, March 7, 2012
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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Borealis String Quartet

Patricia Shih, violin
Yuel Yawney, violin
Nikita Pogrebnoy, viola
Shih-Lin Chen, cello

One of the most dynamic and exciting world-class ensembles of its generation, the Borealis String Quartet has received critical acclaim as an ensemble praised for its fiery performances, passionate style, and refined, musical interpretation.

Founded in Vancouver, British Columbia in the fall of 2000 and rapidly establishing a stellar reputation, the Borealis created a national sensation as the only classical ensemble televised on the Great Canadian Music Dream Competition hosted by the CBC (Canadian Broadcasting Corporation). Consequently, they were invited to perform for the Prime Minister of Canada at the Canada Day Celebrations on Parliament Hill in front of an audience of over 75,000.

The Borealis has received enthusiastic acclaim from audiences in major cities in North America, including in Vancouver, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and New York, where they played to a sold-out audience for the Schneider Concerts Series. Recent performances have included tours of Mexico, Taiwan, and North America. The Borealis served as Quartet-in-Residence for the June Music Festival in Albuquerque, New Mexico, Magic City Chamber Music Festival in Birmingham, Alabama and the Winter Chamber Music Festival in Tucson, Arizona.

The Borealis String Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Monday, March 26, 2012
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, March 27, 2012
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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Enso String Quartet

Maureen Nelson, violin
John Marcus, violin
Melissa Reardon, viola
Richard Belcher, cello

With a 2010 Grammy nomination for Best Chamber Music Performance,the Enso String Quartet has quickly become one of the country most accomplished young ensembles. Shortly after the group inception at Yale University in 1999, Enso had success at the Banff International String Quartet Competition and won the Concert Artists Guild International Competition, and has consistently received high praise for performances ever since. The quartet debut recording was described by Strad Magazine as an auspicious start to their recording career, and was followed by the recent Grammy-nominated release of the quartets of Ginastera. MusicWeb International summed up this album as Å“playing of jaw-dropping prowess revealing masterpieces of the 20th century quartet literature seek out this group they are clearly bound for greatness.The disc was selected as one of MusicWeb Recordings of the Year for 2009.

In addition to the success of their recordings, the Enso String Quartet live concerts have been highlighted by audiences and critics alike - for their edge-of-the-seat vitality few groups maintain throughout a performance (Houston Chronicle), thrillingly athletic performance (Washington Post) and neat, well balanced and lyrical lively and intelligent playing (Gramophone). The group is equally at home in many styles, and is committed to the classics of the string quartet repertoire as well as being strong advocates for new music. In 2009 they were the recipients of a Chamber Music America Commissioning Grant with composer Kurt Stallmann, and two CD recordings were released on the Albany Records label that feature the quartet in world premiere recordings of music by Karim Al Zand and Anthony Brandt. Previous seasons have seen the quartet give many other premiere performances, including Joan Tower Piano Quintet with the composer at the piano.

The Enso String Quartet members are sought after as teachers and chamber music mentors. As well as giving countless outreach performances in schools throughout the country, the quartet has held residencies with Rice University Shepherd School of Music as Lecturers in String Quartet, Boston University Tanglewood Institute, and currently with the Interlochen Adult Amateur Chamber Music Camp, and Connecticut Music For Youth. They were also featured in the inaugural Young Artist Residency with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

The Enso String Quartet members hold degrees from Yale University, The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, New England Conservatory, Guildhall School of Music (UK) and the University of Canterbury (New Zealand). Together they held residencies at Northern Illinois University with the Vermeer Quartet and at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University. The Enso Quartet is based in NYC .

The Borromeo String Quartet will be performing on the following dates and locations in the Southern California area. All performances start at 8:00 p.m.

Monday, April 23, 2012
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Tuesday, April 24, 2012
University Synagogue
Los Angeles, (Brentwood)

Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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