Eastman School of Music offers enthusiastic congratulations to The Maple Quartet, an undergraduate string quartet and the 2023-24 recipient of the newly created Celentano String Quartet Award. This award was created from endowed funds given by the late John Celentano, distinguished Professor Emeritus of chamber music, and his wife Mary to honor current students who demonstrate exceptional achievement in the study and performance of chamber music. Celentano, who received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Eastman in 1937 and 1941 respectively, was second violinist of the Eastman String Quartet. During the Eisenhower presidency, his quartet became the first teaching ensemble to tour under the auspices of the United States Government. As many of Eastman’s chamber students aspire to such an influential career path, it is fitting that this gift be used to reward exemplary undergraduate string quartets. Click here to learn more about the Celentanos’ lasting impact on Eastman students.
Recipients of the Celentano Award are selected through a competitive audition process. In addition to a monetary prize, students receive support for professional development expenses, additional coachings from Eastman faculty, and the use of a dedicated practice space on campus. The winning quartet presents a concert at Eastman each year, along with performances at local schools and senior facilities in and around Rochester.
This year’s Celentano Award Recital, featuring The Maple Quartet, will take place in Hatch Recital Hall at 6:30 p.m. on Friday, March 8. The event is free and open to the public.
Associate Professors of String Chamber Music, and members of the renowned Ying Quartet, David Ying and Janet Ying, have both worked closely with The Maple Quartet over the past year. David shares, “It is thrilling to honor and mentor The Maple Quartet as the inaugural Celentano Quartet. Isabel, Magali, John and Gabe represent the best of both the talent and artistic potential that so many of our Eastman students display. I think John and Mary Celentano would be so proud to know that they are continuing to help these deserving young musicians on their journey.”
We caught up with violinists Isabel Chen and Magali Pelletey, violist John Crowley, and cellist Gabriel Hennebury — members of The Maple Quartet — to ask a few questions about who they are, what this honor means to them, Friday’s concert, and more.
Can you share a bit of history about The Maple Quartet? How long have you been playing together as a group? Why “Maple”?
John: We officially formed as a group in August of 2022, but we all met during our freshman year in the First Year String Quartet Seminar with the Ying Quartet. I had played with Isabel, Magali, and Gabe in assigned groups, and decided that I really wanted to form a quartet with them. During winter break of 2021, I started by asking Gabe if he was interested in playing in a quartet with me, and to my luck he was on board! We then asked Isabel and Magali to join since we both really liked their playing and musical perspectives. When I asked everyone to join the quartet, I pitched the idea of rehearsing two or three times a week, but it quickly evolved into much more than that! We spend about 12 hours per week working together and we hang out regularly (we love to play Mario Kart!)
Performing in Hatch Recital Hall for NASM, the National Association of Schools of Music, as part of Eastman’s 2023 accreditation process. PC: Lauren Sageer
We had struggled for a while choosing our name, but “Maple Quartet” just felt right. For one, maple wood is commonly used in crafting string instruments. Gabe and I are both from regions well-known for maple syrup (I’m from upstate New York just south of the Adirondacks, and Gabe is from Canada). And maple leaves are just beautiful — inspiring us to base our concert dress on fall foliage.
Congratulations on being the inaugural recipients of the Celentano String Quartet Award! How does that feel? Can you tell us about the process of being selected?
Isabel: We are so beyond grateful to receive this great award! We were encouraged to audition for this award shortly after we found out we were selected for the Honors Chamber Recital last spring semester. So, it was an intense couple of weeks preparing a gigantic seven-movement Beethoven quartet while simultaneously reprising a Bartók quartet we’d performed the previous semester. When we played at our audition, I don’t recall us being too nervous for it because we were very familiar with both pieces, and most of the chamber professors listening to us were coaches we’d had before; overall it felt like a supportive audition environment! We just played our best and, after a few days, were thrilled to be named the first recipients of the Celentano Award.
This award has both encouraged and challenged us to experience a taste of professional life as chamber musicians, and we’re so lucky to be given the financial support to try out different musical opportunities outside of school that we wouldn’t have thought of otherwise! It’s definitely been an intense year of serious work to fulfill this award, but we have learned so much from our coaches as well as each other in rehearsals and performances. The Celentano String Quartet Award has been a huge motivational force, equipping us with enriching chamber instruction and bringing our ambitions to life.
What can audiences expect to hear on Friday’s program?
Performing in Lowry Hall during Meliora Weekend, October 2023. PC: Lauren Sageer
Magali: We are playing one of Mozart’s late quartets (K. 589) which we chose for the wonderful cello solos and the particularly conversational style. As a contrast, we are pairing the Mozart with Brahms’ 2nd Quartet in A minor — the last movement of which is a czárdás, a Hungarian folk dance. Folk music also plays a huge role in the works of the last composer in our program, Gabriela Lena Frank. Her quartet, “Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout” takes the listener on a tour of Peruvian life in the countryside. The work offers a colorful perspective of the vibrant culture in the Andes region. It’s especially cool that our recital was scheduled on International Women’s Day (March 8), as Frank is one of America’s most innovative and sought after woman BIPOC composers.
Do you have any advice for prospective students who would like to study Chamber Music at Eastman?
Gabe: Eastman has so much to offer when it comes to studying chamber music. We have a fantastic quartet in residence, the Ying Quartet; really interesting groups for both baroque and contemporary period performance; and brilliant coaching faculty. The community here connects so many musicians with varying skill sets and approaches, and I want to encourage you to try playing in all sorts of different instrumentations and ensemble types. I was part of a harp trio during my freshman year here, and it was a new experience that helped me learn how to actually follow harp (useful for when I found myself playing the Ravel septet a year later!) You never know which chamber group will end up being interesting to you, so try everything while you can!
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Celentano Award Recital: The Maple Quartet
Friday, March 8 at 6:30 p.m. | Hatch Recital Hall
Featured Photo by Yujen Tsai