Biava String Quartet and Soovin Kim Present at SUNY Plattsburgh

The Biava Quartet and Soovin Kim will discuss and perform  the String Quintet in G minor, K. 516 by Mozart. This event is part of the Hill and Hollow Mozart Festival, April 21-27, with Soovin Kim, Helen Huang, the Biava Quartet, and the Adirondack String Seminar Orchestra in mixed programs of duos, quartets, quintets and chamber orchestra

The members of the Biava Quartet - violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin and cellist Jason Calloway - hold the Lisa Arnhold Quartet Residency at the Juilliard School, serving as teaching assistants to the Julliard Quartet. The quartet previously held the same position with the Tokyo Quartet at Yale University.

Recognized as one of today's most exciting young American quartets and winner of the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, the quartet has established an enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad, impressing audiences with their sensitive artistry and communicative power. They have performed to acclaim in major concert halls and at festivals throughout North America, Europe and Asia.

Dedicated to the performance of the classical repertoire, the Biava Quartet also maintains a strong commitment to the commissioning and performance of contemporary works as well as exploring interdisciplinary works. Recipients of a 2006 Chamber Music America grant in collaboration with the Hill and Hollow Chamber Music Series, the quartet members have invested themselves in the growth of arts in communities. Committed to educating and inspiring audiences of all ages, the Biava Quartet is frequently invited to lead master classes, community and educational programs at schools and conservatories throughout the country.

The Biava Quartet has recorded on the Naxos and Cedille record labels and has been heard internationally on numerous radio broadcasts. It has been featured in Strings and Strad magazines and is the subject of an upcoming PBS documentary film. Founded in 1998 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the members of the Biava Quartet hold advanced degrees from the New England Conservatory of Music, University of Southern California, Yale University and The Juilliard School. 

American violinist Soovin Kim is increasingly sought after for the character, nuance and excitement of his performances as concerto soloist, chamber musician and recitalist, both in the United States and abroad. Particularly known for his breadth of repertoire, Kim tours all corners of the world. In 2005, Kim won the prestigious Borletti-Buitoni Trust Award, bestowed on young artists of exceptional talent at the threshold of major international careers.  Kim has also won the Avery Fisher Career Grant, the Henryk Szeryng Foundation Career Award and first prize at the Paganini Competition. His recent CD of the 24 Paganini Caprices on the Azica label was described by Classic FM Magazine as "thrillingly triumphant" and as making "these amazing note-spinners work as pure music."

Born in the United States, Kim started to play the violin at age 4. At 15, he was accepted to the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he studied with David Cerone and Donald Weilerstein. He ultimately moved to the Curtis Institute of Music, where he worked with Victor Danchenko and Jaime Laredo. He plays the 1709 "ex-Kempner" Stradivarius.