The Escher Quartet
Tuesday, January 18, 2011 at 8 p.m.
Robert J. Werner Recital Hall
The University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music
Janacek: String Quartet No. 2, “Intimate Letters”
Zemlinsky: String Quartet No. 3
Dvorak: String Quartet in G Major, Op. 106
The Escher String Quartet has received acclaim for its individual sound, inspired artistic decisions and unique cohesiveness. The Quartet has performed at prestigious venues and festivals across the United States including Lincoln Center, the 92nd Street Y and Symphony Space in New York, Boston’s Gardner Musuem, the Ravinia and Caramoor Festivals, Music@Menlo and La Jolla SummerFest; and has collaborated with eminent artists such as Lawrence Dutton, Leon Fleisher, Lynn Harrell, Jeffrey Kahane, Joseph Kalichstein, David Shifrin and Pinchas Zukerman. Within months of its inception in 2005, the Escher was invited by both Pinchas Zukerman and Itzhak Perlman to be the quartet-in-residence at each artist’s summer festival: The Young Artists Programme at Canada’s National Arts Centre and The Perlman Chamber Music Program on Shelter Island, NY.
During the 2008-2009 season the Escher debuts at the Kennedy Center in Washington, DC, the Louvre in Paris as well as in New Orleans, Orange County, CA, and San Jose. In addition, the Quartet continues its CMS Two residency at the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and travels to the National Arts Centre in Ottawa. The Escher began the season with appearances at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival, Music@Menlo and the Gold Coast Festival in California.
Last season, the Escher began its Chamber Music Society Two Residency with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, served as the 2007-2008 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence in Caramoor–where the Escher recently performed its first commissioned work by Pierre Jalbert–and joined the faculty of Stony Brook University as Visiting Artist-in-Residence in a unique relationship with the world-renowned Emerson String Quartet. The ensemble also performed at the Ravinia, Green, Great Lakes, Music @ Menlo and La Jolla Festivals. Additional 2007-2008 appearances included Symphony Space and the New School in New York; Boston’s Gardner Museum; Rhinebeck Chamber Music Society; Concordia College; and University of Idaho. The Quartet has also performed with guitar luminary Pepe Romero for a New Year’s Eve performance at the 92nd Street Y, and with pianist Wu Han at the Greenwich Library Concert Series. Nightclub engagements at Tonic and Union Hall saw the Escher in joint concerts with pop-folk singer-songwriter Luke Temple.
The Escher String Quartet takes its name from Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher inspired by Escher’s method of interplay between individual components working together to form a whole.
Learn more about this ensemble at www.escherquartet.com.
