Verona Quartet

Program

A Letter to Beethoven

MENDELSSOHN: String Quartet No. 1, Op. 12

BACEWICZ: String Quartet No. 4 (in fall 2023)

**intermission**

BEETHOVEN: String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1, “Razumovsky”

Biography

Acclaimed as an “outstanding ensemble…cohesive yet full of temperament” (The New York Times), the Verona Quartet has firmly established itself amongst the most distinguished ensembles on the chamber music scene today. The group’s singular sense of purpose most recently earned them Chamber Music America’s coveted 2020 Cleveland Quartet Award, and a reputation for its “bold interpretive strength, robust characterization and commanding resonance” (Calgary Herald). The Quartet serves on the faculty of the Oberlin College and Conservatory as the Quartet-in-Residence. In addition to its position at Oberlin, the Quartet holds residencies at Nova Scotia’s Lunenburg Academy of Music Performance and North Carolina’s Chamber Orchestra of the Triangle. As committed advocates of diverse programming, the Verona Quartet curates the UpClose Chamber Music Series on behalf of the COT, electrifying audiences from concert halls to craft breweries with their “sensational, powerhouse performance[s]” (Classical Voice America).

The Verona Quartet has appeared across four continents, captivating audiences at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center (New York City), Kennedy Center, Library of Congress (Washington, D.C.), Jordan Hall (Boston), Wigmore Hall (U.K.) and Melbourne Recital Hall (Australia), and has performed at festivals including La Jolla Summerfest, Chamber Music Northwest, Caramoor, Alpenglow, and Bravo! Vail, and with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.

The 2022-23 season will see the Verona Quartet return to Carnegie Hall and Buffalo Chamber Music Society as well as debut at esteemed series including the Chamber Music Societies of Utica and Williamsburg, Clemson University’s Utsey Chamber Music Series, Feldman Chamber Music Music Society, Friends of Chamber Music Kansas City, and Howland Chamber Music Circle. The Quartet will also participate in guest artist residencies at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory in Singapore, Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the University of Texas at Austin.

A string quartet for the 21st century, the Verona Quartet champions the rich breadth of the string quartet repertoire from the time-honored canon through contemporary classics. Notable commissions and premieres include works by composers Julia Adolphe, Corey Dundee and Sebastian Currier as well as Michael Gilbertson’s Pulitzer Prize-nominated Quartet. In addition to the 2023 premiere of a string quartet by Derek David, the Quartet will premiere a new composition by Texu Kim and a work for string quartet and yangqin (Chinese dulcimer) by Cheng Jin Koh, commissioned and highlighted by the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery in recognition of its Centennial.

The Verona Quartet’s critically acclaimed debut album, Diffusion, features works of Janacek, Ravel and Szymanowski and was praised by BBC Music Magazine for its "radiant glow" and Cleveland Classical for the “Verona’s technical precision, expressive freedom, and brilliant, dramatic phrasing”. The Quartet’s second album, SHATTER, will showcase works written for the Verona Quartet by American composers Julia Adolphe and Michael Gilbertson as well as Reena Esmail’s Ragamala, in collaboration with Hindustani vocalist Saili Oak.

In addition to promoting contemporary music, the Quartet strives for a dynamic, imaginative approach to collaboration and programming that champions cross-cultural and interdisciplinary enterprises. The Verona Quartet looks forward to collaborations with pianists Anne-Marie McDermott and David Fung, violist Masumi Rostad, cellist Joshua Roman and world-renowned pipa player Wu Man. Past projects include a live-performance art installation with artist Ana Prvački, performances with dancers from Brooklyn’s Dance Heginbotham, artistic exchanges with traditional Emirati poets in the UAE, and a collaboration with GRAMMY-winning folk trio I’m With Her.

Drawing from the mentorship of the celebrated Cleveland, Juilliard and Pacifica Quartets, the Verona Quartet’s rapid rise to international prominence was fueled by top prize wins at the Wigmore Hall, Melbourne, M-Prize and Osaka International Chamber Music Competitions, as well as the 2015 Concert Artists Guild Competition.

The ensemble’s “vibrant, intelligent” (The New York Times) performances emanate from the spirit of storytelling; the Quartet believes that this transcends genre and therefore the name “Verona” pays tribute to William Shakespeare, one of the greatest storytellers of all time.