The Henschel
String Quartet

Christoph Henschel, violin, Markus Henschel, violin, Monika Henschel-Schwind, viola and Mathias Beyer-Karlshøj, cello

In 1994 the Henschel siblings had the great fortune to find the ideal cello partner in Mathias Beyer-Karlsh. In 1995 The Henschel String Quartet were prize-winners of no less than five prizes at International String Quartet competitions for the best interpretation of works ranging from Mozart up to contemporary composers.

This season's engagements include, amongst others, the Henschel Quartet`s third BBC Proms appearance, concerts in the Wigmore Hall London, at the Schubertiade Schwarzenberg, the Royal Spanish Court in Madrid, appearances as Cultural Ambassadors‚ for Germany in Brussels Bozar and at the re-opening of the Anna-Amalia Library in Germany (UNESCO World Culture Heritage), as well as their 11th concert tour of Japan in addition to concerts in the USA, following the Quartet`s residency at Tanglewood Festival.

The Henschel Quartet has recorded for SonyBMG, EMI, Deutsche Grammophon and others. Many of their recordings have been awarded major prizes by the international press, their Mendelssohn Box Complete String Quartets was ranked No.1 at the HMV Charts 2006 & 2007. In 2006 the Henschel Quartet was officially appointed musical Ambassadors of the SOS Children`s Villages.

The Henschel 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, October 26, 2009
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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The Borromeo
String Quartet

Nicholas Kitchen, violin, Kristopher Tong, violin, Mai Motobuchi, viola and 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, November 16, 2009
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, November 17, 2009
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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St. Petersburg
String Quartet

Alla Aranovskaya, first violin, Alla Krolevich, second violin, Boris Vayner, viola and Leonid Shukayev, cello,

One of the world's leading string quartets, the St. Petersburg was founded as the Leningrad Quartet by Alla Aranovskaya, Alla Krolevich (Goryainova) and Leonid Shukayev, all three graduates of the Leningrad Conservatory.

The St. Petersburg Quartet blazed a trail through international chamber music competitions, winning First Prize at the All-Soviet Union String Quartet Competition, the Silver Medal and a Special Prize at the Tokyo International Competition of Chamber Ensembles, First Prize and both Special Prizes at the Vittorio Gui International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Florence, Italy, and First Prize and the "Grand Prix Musica Viva" at the International Competition for Chamber Ensembles in Melbourne, Australia.

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

Monday, January 18, 2010
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, January 19, 2010
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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RTÉ Vanbrugh String Quartet

w/Francois Chouchan, Piano

Gregory Ellis, violin, Keith Pascoe, violin, Simon Aspell, viola Christopher Marwood, cello

Winner of the 1988 London International String Quartet Competition and now in its twenty-fourth concert season, the RTÉ Vanbrugh Quartet is one of Europe's most successful ensembles internationally recognised for its beauty of sound, clarity of texture and integrity of interpretation within an unusually wide and varied range of repertoire. Familiar visitors to all the main UK festivals the Vanbrugh Quartet also broadcasts frequently for BBC Radio 3 and performs regularly at London's Wigmore Hall and South Bank.

The Quartet enjoys a thriving international career with past appearances including concerts in Berlin (Konzerthaus), Amsterdam (Concertgebouw), Hungary (Liszt Academy), Poland (Lancut Festival), Spain (Galicia Festival), Flanders Festival, Menuhin Festival, Gstaad plus numerous visits to Scandinavia where recordings were made of the complete Beethoven quartets. The quartet tours the USA on a regular basis with performances in Carnegie Hall, New York and The Kennedy Centre in Washington.

Based in Cork as Resident Quartet to Radio Telefis Eireann, Ireland's national broadcasting service; the members of the Quartet are also Artists in Residence to University College, Cork, and founders of the internationally acclaimed West Cork Chamber Music Festival. In April 2005 the Quartet hosted European Quartet Week as part of Cork's tenure as European Capital of Culture.

With Guest Pianist, Francois Chouchan

SIMPLICITY/ SENSITIVITY & MELODY: "Simplicity is fundamental. I believe that the melody is essentially important because it stimulates us on a primal level by evoking profound feelings. This is why I consider myself more than a musician, I am a melodist."

SHARING: "Music always means sharing for me: you taste it, you savor it and you delight in it. Each note, each breath, each phrase, beautifully fits in its place. As the music plays, it reveals the story with every line, every sentence commanding our emotions and instantly influencing our feelings. Inspiration evolves from the childlike innocence, simplicity in its purity."

PIANO: "When I play the piano I narrate a story which transports me into another world. My interpretation of the piece allows me to share those magical moments and feelings with others. "

CHAMBER MUSIC/ACCOMPANIST: "This is even stronger when I play Chamber Music or when I accompany a singer."

The RTE Vanbrugh 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 22, 2010
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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The La Catrina Quartet

Daniel Vega-Albela, violin, Blake Espy, violin, Jorge Martínez, viola, Alan Daowz, cello

Quickly becoming one of the most sought after ensembles in the United States today, the La Catrina Quartet has a triple mission: to perform the masterworks of the string quartet repertoire, to promote Mexican and Latin American art music worldwide and to work closely with composers in order to promote the performance of new music.

Currently the Quartet-in-Residence of the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC, the La Catrina String Quartet has received important awards and recognitions, such as Western Michigan University's All University Research and Creative Scholar Award. They have also premiered works by composers Thomas Janson and John Ferrito at the Kent Blossom Music Festival and Zae Munn at the Chicago College of Performing Arts.

Some of this season's highlights included their participation in the highly competitive Association of Performing Arts Presenters' 2007 Young Performers Career Advancement program in New York City, which concluded with a showcase performance of "next generation's classical music star performers" in Carnegie Hall, and their appointment as the new Quartet-in-Residence of the Western Piedmont Symphony, in North Carolina. Last summer, they conducted a two-week residency in San Miguel de Allende, where they collaborated with the Brentano Quartet, and this season they will be featured in concert series throughout the US and Mexico.

The La Catrina 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 1, 2010
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, March 2, 2010
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, March 3, 2010
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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The Gould Piano Trio

Lucy Gould, violin, Benjamin Frith, piano and Alice Neary, cello.

From their early success at the Charles Hennen and the Inaugural Melbourne Competitions through being selected as British "Rising Stars" in 1998, the Gould Piano Trio has emerged as one of the finest chamber ensembles, boasting an impressive discography, with festival appearances at Edinburgh, Cheltenham, City of London, Bath, Aldeburgh, Spoleto and the BBC Proms.

In their regular and extensive tours to the U.S.A. they have covered the major venues in New York including the Lincoln Centre, Frick Collection and Weill Hall. In Europe, highlights have included the Queens Hall - Edinburgh, Concertgebouw - Amsterdam and the Palais des Beaux Arts - Brussels, as well as recitals in Paris, Cologne, Athens and Vienna.

But whether at home or in the Far East and New Zealand, the trio have constantly striven to engage new audiences through outreach programmes, often working with school children - as filmed by the BBC during the 2006 Leeds International Piano Competition. A recent tour of North America's West Coast saw them giving a presentation of James MacMillan's trio, Fourteen Little Pictures, to students in the University of Southern Oregon; a piece they have championed since performing it at the BBC Symphony's MacMillan Festival at the Barbican.

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

Monday, April 12, 2010
UCLA
Schoenberg Hall, Westwood

Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Cal State
Gerald R. Daniel Recital Hall, Long Beach

Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Cal State
Plaza del Sol Performance Hall, Northridge

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