The St. Lawrence String Quartet makes its Union College Concert Series debut Sunday, Jan. 20 at 3 p.m. in Memorial Chapel performing a classical repertoire from Haydn, Berg and Dvorak.
The group, founded in Toronto in 1989, includes original members Geoff Nuttall, violin, and Lesley Robertson, viola, along with violinist Scott St. John and cellist Christopher Costanza. The ensemble’s popularity soared in 1992 after winning the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions.
The St. Lawrence String Quartet performs annually throughout North America and Europe. This summer will mark its 13th year as resident quartet at the Spoleto USA Festival in Charleston, S.C. It also plays at the Mostly Mozart Festival in New York, Maverick Concerts, Bay Chamber Concerts (Maine) and the Ottawa Chamber Music Festival.
Known for fervently championing the works of contemporary masters, 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 group is also commited to bringing chamber music to venues outside the traditional concert hall or classroom. This has spawned collaborations with the Pilobolus Dance Theatre and the Emerson String Quartet. As ensemble- in-residence at Stanford University since 1998, the musicians also 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 2002 recording, “Yiddishbbuk,” featuring the chamber music of Golijov, received two Grammy nominations.
Sunday's concert is free for members of the Union community, $20 for general admission and $8 for area students. For tickets, call ext. 6080; for more information on the concert series, call 372-3651 or visit http://www.union.edu/ConcertSeries.