Arianna Orchestra Festival Highlights

Congratulations and thank you to the directors and students from Hazelwood West High School, Quincy Senior High School, and St. Charles High School, who recently participated in the Arianna Orchestra Festival. The Festival welcomed participants to a day filled with a tour of the UMSL campus, rehearsals, sectionals, master classes and a final performance in the Anheuser-Busch Performance Hall. The Festival was led by UMSL's quartet-in-residence, the acclaimed Arianna String Quartet: John McGrosso, Julia Sakharova, Joanna Mendoza, and Kurt Baldwin; and UMSL colleagues, Sue Stubbs and Dr. James Richards. Check out more photos  from the event by visiting  our photo album. If you and your students would like to participate next year, contact Julia Sakharova at juliasakharova@gmail.com.

Rio International Chamber Music Week

We just returned from Rio de Janeiro, where we performed for the Rio International Chamber Music Week Festival.

We had a wonderful experience and have a few photos taken by Daneile Bendinger to share with you!


Performing Beethoven Op. 59 no. 3


After our perfomance of Beethoven Op. 59 no. 3

The venue for our performances was the amazing City of Arts, Rio's largest cultural complex.

Here we are performing the Brazilian composer Osvaldo Lacerda's Quartet no. 1.

 


For more photos from the Festival, visit our  Photo Albums Page

An Evening at V Bistro - Secret Series Performance

Thank you to all who were able to join us for our performance at V Bistro on Tuesday, August 19.   We were happy to hear so many positive comments about the evening.

And what better way to start the evening than with a scrumptious menu put together by the V Bistro folks.

The evening was full of wonderful food and the opportunity to meet and talk with our devotees.  We especially enjoyed performing  Beethoven's Quartet in f minor, Op. 95 and Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No.3, which we are recording this week under Centaur Records.

For more photos from the evening check out the  Photo Albums Page on this blog.
Also, make sure to check in with our main website for future Secret Series announcements.  We look forward to seeing you.

St. Louis Public Radio - An Interview with John and Joanna

St. Louis' Public Radio program, Cityscape, recently held a conversation with John and Joanna about ASQ's upcoming season and about a concert to benefit the University City Children's Center.

Talking about ASQ's  pre-concert sessions, John commented.

“If I could point to any one thing that would show how far we’ve come and how much we’ve integrated ourselves into the community and to the performing arts scene here, it would really be those pre-concert sessions where we can get to interact and joke around a little bit with the audience and really create a wonderful sort of living room atmosphere before our concert starts.”

To hear or read the full conversation visit  St. Louis Public Radio.

Secret Series Announced for Tuesday, August 19

You are invited to the opening concert of our new Secret Series! Performed in unusual and intimate venues, the Series endeavors to bring the best of the string-quartet repertoire to new places and new faces in St. Louis. Part of the fun is in finding out the concert series' Secret locations and dates, which will be unveiled on our brand new website. The August secret location awaits your discovery, and features a fabulous American Bistro with a special menu for the evening. Visit our website for all the details! The Go! List 2014 critics' and readers' picks for Best Chamber Music Group Thank you to all who voted.

2014 Go! List Winners for Best Chamber Music Group

We're really excited to be  the Go! List 2014 critics' and readers' picks for Best Chamber music Group.  So, thank you to all who voted for us.  We appreciate your support and enthusiasm.

To celebrate, Joanna attended the party hosted by Go! Magazine.  It was great fun to check out Plush in Midtown and meet other local artists and business people.  To find out more visit the St. Louis Post-Dispatch website.

Joanna at Plush to receive the Go! List Award

Subscriptions Now Available for our 15th Concert Season

Join us for our 15th season of concerts in St. Louis:

Sept. 5,  2014 - Dynamic Duo with clarinetist Scott Andrews

We open our season with the first of Ludwig van Beethoven’s Late String Quartets, the riveting Quartet in E-Flat Major, Op.127, a tour de force quartet that set the tone for the master’s late period of composition. The evening concludes as the St. Louis Symphony’s brilliant principal clarinetist, Scott Andrews, joins the quartet in what is sure to be an unforgettable performance of Johannes Brahms’ Clarinet Quintet, Op.115.

Nov. 7, 2014 -  Beethoven and Klein with oboe virtuoso Alex Klein

Alex Klein, oboe virtuoso, returns to St. Louis to join us in an evening of stirring chamber music for oboe and strings. Take  a sonic journey through the expansive range of expression of the woodwind instrument. Pieces include: Mozart: Oboe Quartet in F Major, K.370; Doráti: Notturno and Capriccio for Oboe and String Quartet; and Britten: Phantasy Quartet for Oboe and String Trio, Op.2. The quartet closes the evening with Beethoven’s Quartet in F Major, Op.135. 

March 6, 2015 - Contemporary Beethoven with pianist Einav Yarden 

Contemporary Beethoven is an evening to relish in modern sounds and musical languages that transcend time. We  will perform Sofia Gubaidulina’s profound Quartet No.2; Beethoven’s riveting Große Fuge, Op.133; and Johannes Brahms’ Piano Quintet in F minor, joining forces with internationally acclaimed pianist Einav Yarden. Berlin-based Yarden’s phenomenal performances have taken her to the most important stages in the world as a concerto soloist, recitalist and chamber musician. This concert marks her St. Louis debut.

May 8, 2015 -  Bold New World 

Our season finale showcases profound pieces by three giants of the world of music. Daring to boldly send the traditions of Western classical music in new directions, these three quartets of Haydn, Bartok and Beethoven continue to resonate as eternal masterpieces, and achievements of the human spirit. From Papa Haydn’s ingeniously innovative quartet Op. 20, No.5, through Beethoven’s ethereally inspired Op.132, to Bartok’s modern, folk-infused Fifth String Quartet, this promises to be a thrilling end to the ASQ’s 15th concert season in St. Louis.

The four-concert ASQ subscription package is $84. Subscriptions are on sale now and are available at the Touhill Performing Arts Center Ticket Office; online at www.touhill.org; or by phone at 314-516-4949. Single tickets will go on sale on August 4. 

The Arianna Chamber Music Festival Concludes with a Young Artist Concert

Thursday, June 5

7:00 PM, free to all.

Touhill Performing Arts Center

The 2014 Arianna Chamber Music Festival concludes on Thursday, June 5th with a free performance at the Touhill Performing Arts Center.   Come see our young musicians as they showcase their work and talents.

Afterward meet the Arianna String Quartet and the Festival's participants at the closing reception. It's sure to be an exciting evening.

Concerts at Half-Past Twelve

Performing in Founders Hall, Concerts at Half-Past Twelve.

ASQ recently performed in the widely-acclaimed Concerts at Half-Past Twelve series. The long running series, hosted by St. Francis College in Brooklyn, New York, was founded by Dr. Suzanne Forsberg, Department Chair of St. Francis' Fine Arts and Foreign Language.

Kurt and Joanna perform Mendelssohn Op. 80 in f minor.

John and Julia perform Beethoven Op. 59, No. 3 Razumovsky

Arianna String Quartet received a warm welcome by the St. Francis College audience and community. On a more personal level this venue is very special to me as I have appeared here in concerts twice before. A big thank you to Dr. Suzanne Forsberg, who I have known for about 10 years, for her leadership and artistic vision. She is the driving force behind all the wonderful music events at the college.

-Julia Sakharova, Arianna String Quartet

ASQ with Dr. Suzanne Forsberg

 Thanks to Ching Man Wong for sharing his photos with us!

HIGHLIGHTS - 2014 Festival of Music, Santa Catarina Brazil (FEMUSC)

After arriving in Santa Catarina, Brazil for the international music festival FEMUSC, the ASQ spent two weeks performing and leading a string quartet program for young professional quartets.  Here are a few notes, pictures, and comments highlighting the much enjoyed international festival:

Almost home after two weeks in Brazil at FEMUSC. The Arianna Quartet was honored to work with these amazing young quartets from Mexico, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, and South Africa. The world comes together at FEMUSC, and the teaching, learning and performances give us inspiration for the entire year. Obrigado!!
-Kurt Baldwin, Arianna String Quartet

Here we are with all the wonderful quartet participants!

I miss so much the intensive coaching, the daily masterclasses, the almost daily performances, the amazing concerts. I especially miss you guys. You are truly amazing for sharing all the knowledge and experience you have as a quartet. We are so inspired by you! ¡Abrazos fuertes desde México!

-Anamar Garcia, Tamayo Quartet, Mexico

Masterclass with Joanna Mendoza. Schubert Cello Quintet featuring Kurt Baldwin. Opportunity more than special

-Deo Creati Quartet, Brazil

We meet up again with the Stellenbosch Quartet from South Africa, whom we worked with last August in Cape Town

We are so incredibly grateful to The Arianna String Quartet for giving us the key to unlocking another dimension of our Quartet playing. You will not find more dedicated people when it comes to string quartet playing and teaching than these four, Thank you for an incredible two weeks!
-Janna Khweis Thomas, Stellenbosch String Quartet, South Africa

In addition to teaching  we had the opportunity to perform multiple times  in the Grand Theater of the Artistic Cultural Center of Jaragua do Sul.

Ainsi la Nuit, by Dutillieux

With flutist Alberto Almarza:  Vieux Carre, by Liduino Pitombeira

Dvorak Piano Quintet with pianist Ricardo Castro.

To celebrate the last day, we hosted a chamber music reading party for all of the quartets, plus some honorary members! 

Here, a most unusual and impressive rendition of Mendelssohn Octet, with Alex Klein playing first on oboe and Rob Weir playing second cello on bassoon!!

For more comments about our FEMUSC experience visit our Facebook page .

ASQ and The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis

The Repertory Theatre of St. Louis recently asked The Arianna String Quartet to write an article for publication in the playbill of their current production Opus, by Michael Hollinger.  Opus' description reads: "With only four days to rehearse for their most important performance ever, a world-class string quartet takes a chance by hiring a gifted but inexperienced young woman. Onstage the Lazara Quartet is pitch perfect but behind the scenes they’re coming unstrung as the four artists battle the sweat, tears and pain that go into making extraordinary music seem effortless. This fascinating play is a passionate look at the delicate and complex relationships between artists’ lives and their art."

It seemed fitting to me that ASQ would take on the task.  From the inside out: A Violist’s Perspective, written by Joanna Mendoza,  is entertaining and adds a nice perspective on the life of a real string quartet.  A life that I am pretty certain is not as dramatic as the characters' portrayed in Opus, but one that has allowed her and the other quartet members to play extraordinary music extraordinarily.

Season Announcements

Upcoming Events ...

The Arianna String Quartet travels to Brazil for the January 19 - February 1 Festival of Music in Santa Catarina (FEMUSC). The ASQ is delighted to return to this international festival where they lead an intensive string quartet program for eight young professional quartets from across South America, Mexico, and this year, a quartet from South Africa. The ASQ will perform several times during the course of the festival, with programs including works by Mendelssohn, Beethoven, Shostakovich, and Dutillieux. Collaborative works include Brahms Clarinet Quintet with Ovanir Buosi (Sao Paulo Symphony Orchestra) and Dvorak Piano Quintet with Brazilian pianist and conductor, Ricardo Castro. The quartet will also perform two new works by Nancy Galbraith and Liduino Pitombeira with flutist Alberto Almarza (Carnegie Mellon University ). FEMUSC, with its faculty from the U.S., Europe and South America, serves over 800 young musicians and offers over 200 concerts in two weeks.

While in Brazil, the quartet will offer an interactive presentation via video-conference on January 24 at the Missouri Music Educators Association (MMEA) Conference.

Invited by the Oberlin Conservatory of Music for a chamber music residency, the ASQ will give master classes and a recital, February 26-27 at the David H. Stull Recital Hall.

On March 8 the Arianna String Quartet travels to Louisville, Kentucky where they will present at the 2014 National Conference for the American String Teachers Association.

Upcoming Concerts ...

Jan 19- Feb 1       FEMUSC                                    Santa Catarina, Brazil
Feb 22      MAC Fine Arts Theatre                              Park Hill, MO
Feb 26      David H. Stull Recital Hall                          Oberlin, OH
Mar 7        Touhill Performing Arts Center       St. Louis, MO
Mar 16      Tassel Performing Arts Center                  Holdredge, NE
Mar 22      Musical Arts Series at Fireland               Port Clinton, OH
Mar 30      Music at Maryville, with guest                   St. Louis, MO
                             pianist Katja Georgieff