The St. Lawrence String Quartet makes its Concert Series debut Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel performing a classical repertoire from Haydn, Berg and Dvorak.
Founded in Toronto in 1989, the Quartet includes original members Geoff Nuttall, violin, and Lesley Robertson, viola, along with Scott St. John, violin, and Christopher Costanza, cello. The ensemble's popularity soared in 1992 after winning both the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
The Quartet performs more than 100 concerts annually in North America and Europe. This summer marks the group’s 13th year as Resident Quartet to the Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, S.C. Additional festival appearances include Mostly Mozart in New York, Maverick Concerts, Bay Chamber Concerts (Maine) and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.
Known for fervently championing the work of contemporary masters such as Christos Hatzis, Jonathan Berger and Argentinean-American composer Osvaldo Golijov, the group returns to a more traditional chamber music repertoire for this performance. The program features Franz Josef Haydn’s (1732-1908) String Quartet in C major, Op. 54, No. 2; Alban Berg’s (1885-1935) “Lyric Suite” and Antonin Dvorak’s (1841-1904) String Quartet in G major, Op. 106.
The St. Lawrence String Quartet’s commitment to bringing chamber music to less traditional venues outside the classroom or concert hall has spawned numerous collaborations, including projects with the renowned Pilobolus Dance Theatre and the Emerson String Quartet. As Ensemble in Residence at Stanford University since 1998, the musicians have worked with students and faculty from the School of Medicine, School of Education and the Jewish Studies program.
The group’s initial recording of Schumann's First and Third Quartets received the coveted German Preis der Deutschen Schallplattenkritik as well as Canada’s Juno Award. The Quartet’s 2002 recording, “Yiddishbbuk,” featuring the chamber music of Golijov, received two Grammy nominations.
This concert is free for the Union College community, $20 for general admission and $8 for area students. For tickets, call (518) 388-6080; for more information on the Series, call (518) 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries.