The Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet will present the opening concert of the 2011-2012 Eastman-Ranlet Series on Sunday, Oct. 16, at 3 p.m. in Kilbourn Hall at the Eastman School of Music. The ensemble’s program will include Debussy’s String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10, Janacek’s String Quartet No. 2 “Intimate Letters,” and Brahm’s String Quartet in A Minor, Op. 51, No. 2.
Hailed by the Boston Globe for their “fiercely committed performances,” the Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation. Comprised of Daniel Chong, violin, Karen Kim, violin, Jessica Bodner, viola, and Kee-Hyun Kim, cello, the quartet has made a name for themselves by their dedication to pioneering performances in non-traditional venues including bars and clubs nationwide. Their residency at Barbès Bar and Performance Space in Brooklyn, New York, was the first of its kind and embraced a series of collaborative concerts with artists of various genres including jazz, folk, and world music.
The group began its professional touring career in 2002 and has since gained international acclaim for their performances around the world. Past seasons have taken the quartet throughout Asia, Europe, Central America and North America, including performances on both American coasts and throughout the Midwest.
The Parker Quartet’s honors include top prize at the 2005 Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France. In 2009, Chamber Music America awarded the quartet the prestigious biennial Cleveland Quartet Award, an award which helps fund a national tour for an exceptional young string quartet.
Most recently they were awarded the 2011 Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance with their recording of Gyorgi Ligeti’s String Quartets No. 1 and 2 released on the Naxos label.
Tickets to the ensemble’s Eastman-Ranlet Series Concert are $10 to $20 (discounts with UR ID), and are available at the Eastman Theatre Box Office in the Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St., by phone 585-454-2100; online: www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/tickets.php
# # #
Calendar Listing:
Sunday, Oct. 16
Eastman-Rnalet Series: Parker Quartet. Music by Debussy, Janacek, and Brahms.
3 p.m.
Kilbourn Hall, 26 Gibbs St.
Tickets: $10, $15 and $20 (discounts with UR ID); available at the Eastman Theatre Box office in the Eastman East Wing, 433 East Main St., by phone 585-454-2100; online: www.esm.rochester.edu/concerts/tickets.php