Sunday, October 28, 2007

Program:

Haydn: String Quartet in C Major, Op. 74, No.1
Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 13
Bartok: String Quartet No. 5

The Orion String Quartet gained immediate attention in the classical music world when its founding members, each with distinguished solo and chamber music careers, officially formed the ensemble in 1987. The Quartet chose its name from the Orion constellation as a metaphor for the unique personality each musician brings to the group in its collective pursuit of the highest musical ideals.

The members of the Quartet – Daniel Phillips, Todd Phillips, Steven Tenenbom, and Timothy Eddy — maintain a strong dedication to the next generation of musical artists and serve on the faculties of the Mannes College of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Juilliard School and Queens College, where they teach private lessons, give chamber music classes and offer intensive coaching programs for young professional string quartets. They have also served as faculty members of the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at Carnegie Hall and the Summer Institute for Advanced Quartet Studies in Aspen. Since 1993, the Orion String Quartet has maintained a summer residency at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.

Since its inception, the Orion String Quartet has been consistently praised for the fresh perspective and individuality it brings to performances, offering diverse programs that juxtapose classic works of the standard quartet literature with masterworks by living composers. During the 2007-2008 concert season, the Orion will partner with clarinetist David Krakauer to perform a program featuring David Del Tredici’s new work, Magyar Madness, a work commissioned by Music Accord specifically for the ensemble. This fall, the Orion will also collaborate with Leon Fleischer at Ravinia, and Ida Kavafian and David Soyer in Philadelphia . The Orion will give the world premiere of a Lowell Liebermann string quartet commissioned for the ensemble at the Canandaigua Lake Chamber Music Festival in February, 2008.

The Orion Quartet opens the 60th Candlelight Concerts season on October 28, 2007 at 4:00 pm at the Congregational Church in Wilton, CT (on Route 33, just north of Wilton Center). For non-subscribers, tickets may be purchased at the door for $25 ($20 for seniors, $10 for students). For more information on subscriptions, please phone 203-762-3401. Candlelight Concerts gladly accepts tax deductible individual and corporate donations, and benefits the Wilton Library.

For more information about the Orion String Quartet, visit their website.