An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Schedule :

January 5, 2024

7:30pm : Balourdet Quartet - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

Angela Bae and Justin DeFilippis, violin; Benjamin Zannoni, viola; Russell Houston, cello

The Balourdet Quartet, based in Boston, Massachusetts, has performed at festivals and series including the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, the Aspen Music Festival, La Jolla Music Society Summerfest, the Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts, Montgomery Chamber Music, Santa Fe ProMusica, and the Schneider Concert Series. The quartet received the Grand Prize at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition, as well as prizes in international competitions including the Banff, Paolo Borciani, and Carl Nielsen competitions. They were also awarded the Gold Medal at the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition and the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition. Highlights of the Balourdet’s 2022-23 season included appearances at Chamber Music Detroit, New England Conservatory’s Jordan Hall, Merkin Hall, and Wigmore Hall.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

W. A. Mozart, String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K. 421

Karim Al-Zand, Strange Machines

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 7 in F Major, Op. 59, No. 1

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January 7, 2024

3:00 pm : Ariel Quartet with Orion Weiss, piano - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violin; Jan Grüning, viola; Amit Even-Tov, cello; Orion Weiss, piano
Distinguished by its virtuosity, probing musical insight, and impassioned, fiery performances, the Ariel Quartet has garnered critical praise worldwide for more than twenty years. The quartet regularly collaborates with today’s eminent and rising young musicians and ensembles, including cellists Paul Katz and Alisa Weilerstein, pianists Jeremy Denk and Menahem Pressler, and the American, Pacifica, and Jerusalem String Quartets.

The Ariel has served as Quartet-in-Residence for the Steans Music Institute at the Ravinia Festival, the Yellow Barn Music Festival, and the Perlman Music Program, as well as the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Festival. The Ariel was named a recipient of the prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, First Prize at the prestigious Franz Schubert and Modern Music Competition in Graz, Austria, Grand Prize at the 2006 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and the Székely Prize.

The quartet appears with pianist Orion Weiss, who has dazzled audiences with his passionate, lush sound and performed with dozens of orchestras including the Chicago Symphony, Boston Symphony, Los Angeles Philharmonic, and New York Philharmonic.  Weiss’s impressive list of awards includes the Classical Recording Foundation’s Young Artist of the Year, a Gilmore Young Artist Award, an Avery Fisher Career Grant.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

Hugo Wolf, Italian Serenade

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet in A Major, Op. 18, No. 5

Dmitri Shostakovich, Piano Quintet in G Minor, Op. 57

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January 12, 2024

7:30pm : Dover Quartet - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Bienen School of Music Quartet-in-Residence
Joel Link and Bryan Lee, violin; Julianne Lee, viola; Camden Shaw, cello  

Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last century by BBC Music Magazine, the Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet has rapidly become one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles. The group’s numerous awards include a sweep of all the top prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Highlights of their 2023-24 season include a North American tour with Leif Ove Andsnes, performances with Haochen Zhang and David Shifrin, and a tour to Europe.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

Florence Price, String Quartet No. 1 in G Major

Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet No. 9 in E-flat Major, Op. 117

Franz Schubert, String Quartet No. 14 in D Minor (“Death and the Maiden”), D. 810

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January 14, 2024

3:00 pm : Calder Quartet - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Benjamin Jacobson and Tereza Stanislav, violin; Jonathan Moerschel, viola; Eric Byers, cello

Hailed as “imaginative, skillful creators” by the New York Times, the Calder Quartet explores a broad spectrum of repertoire, striving to fulfill the composer’s vision with every performance. Winner of a 2014 Avery Fisher Career Grant, the quartet has commissioned new works by such composers as Peter Eötvös, Andrew Norman, Christopher Rouse, Ted Hearne, and Christopher Cerrone.

Recent performance highlights have included Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center, Disney Hall, Lincoln Center, Wigmore Hall, the Salzburg Festival, Tonhalle Zurich, and the Sydney Opera House. The quartet’s collaborators have ranged from Joshua Bell, Menahem Pressler, and Edgar Meyer to Andrew W. K., Lord Huron, Vampire Weekend, and The National.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 3 in D Major, Op. 18, No. 3

Thomas Adès, The Four Quarters

Caroline Shaw, Entr'acte

Claude Debussy, String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10

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January 19, 2024

7:30pm : Parker Quartet - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Daniel Chong and Ken Hamao, violin; Jessica Bodner, viola; Kee-Hyun Kim, cello

The Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation. The quartet’s numerous honors include winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at France’s Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition, and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award.

Recent seasons included performances throughout the United States and Europe, with engagements at Wigmore Hall, Konzerthaus Berlin, the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, Strathmore, and the San Antonio Chamber Music Society. The quartet is committed to working with composers of today, with recent commissions including works by Augusta Read Thomas, Felipe Lara, Jaehyuck Choi, and Zosha di Castri.

In the 2022-23 season, the Quartet marked their 20th anniversary with The Beethoven Project, a multi-faceted initiative which includes performances of the complete cycle of Beethoven’s string quartets; the commissioning of six composers to write encores inspired by Beethoven’s quartets; the creation of a new video library spotlighting each Beethoven quartet; and bringing Beethoven’s music to non-traditional venues around the quartet’s home base of Boston, including homeless shelters and youth programs.

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

Joseph Haydn, String Quartet in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 1

Gra?yna Bacewicz, String Quartet No. 4

Donnacha Dennehy, Wig

Ludwig van Beethoven, String Quartet No. 16 in F Major, Op. 135

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January 21, 2024

3:00 pm : Gryphon Trio - Pick Staiger Concert Hall

An exhilarating journey through brilliant chamber masterworks past and present

Blair Milton, director

Made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund

Annalee Patipatanakoon, violin; Roman Borys, cello; Jamie Parker, piano

The Gryphon Trio is firmly established as one of the world’s preeminent piano trios, regularly touring throughout North America and Europe and enjoying longstanding relationships with the Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Ottawa Chamberfest, and Festival del Lago International Academy of Music in Ajijic, Mexico.

The trio often performs triple concerti with the world’s major symphony orchestras and smaller chamber orchestras, and their prolific recording catalogue includes 22 releases on the Analekta, Naxos, and other labels. Honors include 11 nominations and three Juno Awards for Classical Album of the Year.

The Gryphons are ensemble-in-residence at the Isabel Bader Centre for Performing Arts in Kingston, Ontario, and artists-in-residence at Trinity College, University of Toronto. Since 2010, the trio’s ground-breaking outreach program, Listen Up!, has inspired 16 Canadian communities to collaborate on large-scale multifaceted arts creation projects.   

The Winter Chamber Music Festival is made possible in part by a gift from the Allan R. and Ellen Drebin Opportunities Fund.

Ludwig van Beethoven, Piano Trio in D Major, Op. 70, No. 1 (“Ghost”)

Bruce Russell, we have lived before

Franz Schubert, Piano Trio No. 1 in B-flat Major, D. 898

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Date : January 5, 2024 - January 21, 2024

Location :

Pick-Staiger Concert Hall

50 Arts Circle Drive

Evanston, IL 60208

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