The Alexander String Quartet has performed in the major music capitals of five continents, securing its standing among the world’s premier ensembles for more than three decades. To again have this talented quartet appear
on the Santa Rosa Junior College Chamber Music Series is thrilling. The journey continues with this outstanding ensemble on Sunday, April 7 at 4pm at the Glaser Center, 547 Mendocino Avenue in downtown Santa Rosa.
The ensemble consists of four very different, talented and unique individuals. Zakarias Grafilo, violin; Yuna Lee, violin; David Samuel, viola and Sandy Wilson on the cello, have been great friends of the Santa Rosa Junior College Chamber Music Series. Their talent is off the charts.
The quartet is a vital artistic presence in its home base of San Francisco, serving since 1989 as Ensemble in Residence of San Francisco Performances. Widely admired for its interpretations of Beethoven, Mozart, and Shostakovich, the quartet’s recordings have won international critical acclaim. Founded in New York City in 1981, the ensemble quickly captured attention, initially winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition in 1982, and then becoming the first American quartet to win the London (now Wigmore) International String Quartet Competition in 1985. The members of the Alexander String Quartet are recipients of honorary degrees from Allegheny College and St. Lawrence University, and Presidential medals from Baruch College (CUNY).
To purchase single tickets for this concert contact City Box Office at 415-392-4400
The Program is as follow:
String Quartet in C major, Op. 33, No. 3 “The Bird” (1781) Joseph Haydn (1732-1809)
Allegro moderato
Scherzando: Allegretto
Adagio
Rondo: Presto
String Quartet, Op. 11 (1936) Samuel Barber (1910-1981)
Molto allegro e appassionato
Molto adagio
Molto allegro (come prima)
String Quartet No. 3 in D major, Op. 34 (1945) Erich Wolfgang Korngold (1897-1957)
Allegro moderato
Scherzo: Allegro molto
Sostenuto: Like a Folk Tune
Finale: Allegro con fuoco
Since its inception, the Alexander String Quartet has maintained an unyielding and passionate commitment to education. For decades, the ensemble has trained generations of gifted performers, emerging string quartets, and talented young musicians destined to pass on their knowledge and love of music as teachers in schools across the globe. The 2023-24 season marks the beginning of a new initiative that brings together the quartet’s expertise in education and devotion to its community. Partnering with schools, arts organizations, and community institutions in the Bay Area and beyond, the Alexander String Quartet will be hosting a series of innovative workshops, performances and collaborations designed to support and bolster chamber music awareness and education for individuals from all walks of life.
The Alexander String Quartet has performed at Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y, the Metropolitan Museum, Jordan Hall, the Library of Congress, and appeared as guests at universities including Yale, Princeton, Stanford, Lewis & Clark, UCLA, and many more. Numerous overseas tours include the U.K., the Czech Republic, the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, Spain, Portugal, Switzerland, France, Greece, the Republic of Georgia, Argentina, Panamá, and the Philippines. Their visit to Poland’s Beethoven Easter Festival is beautifully captured in the 2017 award-winning documentary, Con Moto: The Alexander String Quartet.
Joyce Yang, Marc-André Hamelin, Richard Stoltzman, Joyce DiDonato, Midori, Lynn Harrell, Branford Marsalis, David Sánchez, Jake Heggie, Augusta Read Thomas, Tarik O’Regan, Wayne Peterson, and Samuel Carl Adams are a few of the many distinguished instrumentalists, singers, and composers with whom the Alexander String Quartet has collaborated in performance and recording projects from classical to jazz, rock, and folk in its more than four decades of music making.
Recording for the Foghorn Classics label, the Alexander String Quartet’s extensive recording catalogue includes complete string quartet cycles by Bartók, Beethoven, Brahms, Kodály, and Shostakovich. Their most recent release is the third installment of a Mozart chamber music project, “Apotheosis Volume 3,” featuring the string quintets of Mozart with violist Paul Yarbrough. Apotheosis Volumes 1 & 2, released in 2018 and 2019, featured the late string quartets and piano quartets (with Joyce Yang) of Mozart. Both recordings received critical acclaim (“These are by far, hands down and feet up, the most amazing performances of Mozart’s two piano quartets that have ever graced these ears.” –Fanfare.
How To Reach City Box Office:
Phone: 415-392-4400 On The Web: www.cityboxoffice.com
By Mail: City Box Office, 180 Redwood St., Suite 100, S.F, CA 94102
Single tickets are $35 and a youth price of $20.
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The Glaser Center at UUCSR
547 Mendocino Ave.
- Santa Rosa