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Lecture-Performance Series Features Biava String Quartet March 1

PLATTSBURGH, NY __ The Music Department at the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh, in association with Hill and Hollow Music, will host the third of four appearances by the Biava String Quartet during a lecture-performance on Thursday, March 1, at 7 p.m. in the Hyman and Frances Krinovitz Recital Hall in Hawkins Hall. This event is free and open to the public.

As part of the 2006-07 Lecture-Performance Series, "Mining the Riches of the String Quartet Literature," the Biava String Quartet will present "A Rare Gem of Repertoire," with guest violinist Soovin Kim and pianist Jeewon Park. The quartet will collaborate with Kim and Park on the Concert for Solo Violin, Piano and String Quartet in D Major, Opus 21 , by the French composer Ernest Chausson (1855 - 1899). 

The Biava String Quartet, featuring Austin Hartman on violin, Hyunsu Ko on violin, Mary Persin on viola and Bronwyn Banderdt on cello, is recognized as one of today's top young American quartets. It has established an enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad with sensitive artistry and communicative powers. They have captured many top prizes and awards in chamber music, including Naumburg, Borciani, London, Young Concert Artists, Coleman and Fischoff.

Founded in 1998 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, the Biava Quartet has performed in major international music halls, including Alice Tully Hall, Carnegie Hall, Jordan Hall, the Library of Congress and London's Wigmore Hall.  The Quartet has also appeared at the Aspen, Isaac Stern and Itzhak Perlman Chamber Music Festivals and the ProQuartet Academie in France.  The group has made concert tours abroad in England, France, Italy, Japan and South Korea, and for several years has been the ensemble-in-residence at the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival.

Individually and collectively as an ensemble, they are graduates of the Cleveland Institute of Music, New England Conservatory and Curtis Institute of Music. The Biava Quartet is honored to take its name from Maestro Luis Biava, who has served as a mentor and inspiration to the quartet since its inception.

The Concert is Chausson's best-known chamber work and considered an important contribution to the chamber music repertoire. Composed in 1891 in four movements with an overall duration of 40 minutes, it is a difficult piece to classify. It cannot really be called a sextet because violin and piano have significant solo roles. Yet the string quartet is not relegated to mere accompaniment, as in a concerto. It is a complex and virtuosic work undertaken only by artists of the highest caliber. With a warm, personable approach, the Biava String Quartet will engage the audience as listeners and there will be plenty of time for the exchange of ideas and questions from the audience.

For more information, contact the Music Department at 518-564-2180.
     
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