Chiara String Quartet
Encyclopedia
The Chiara String Quartet is an internationally performing professional string quartet based in Lincoln, Nebraska
. The group is the Quartet-in-residence at the School of Music in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is also the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University. The group is also in residence as faculty at the Greenwood Music Camp
, a summer program for advanced high school musicians. The group's members are Rebecca Fischer and Hye Yung Julie Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; and Gregory Beaver, cello.
In addition to traditional concertizing, in December 2006 the group began performing in bars and other unusual performance venues for a classical string quartet under the tagline "Chamber music in any chamber." This has brought them into bars such as The Brick in Kansas City, Missouri, Rose in Brooklyn, New York (New York Times review), Avogadro's Number in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Avantgarden in Houston, Texas.
In this and the following season, the quartet will be performing all 16 of Ludwig van Beethoven
's string quartets at Harvard University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Music at Deerfield in Northampton, Massachusetts.
.
In addition to the CMA Rural residency grant that began their career, the group has been the recipient of a Commissioning grant and 3 Residency partnership grants from Chamber Music America, and a Meet the Composer grant.
The Chiara Quartet's recording of the Brahms and Mozart Clarinet Quintets was a Hot Pick of October 2006 for NET Radio. The Chiara Quartet's performance at Meany Hall in December of 2007 was selected as one of the highlights of the year by Seattle Post-Intelligencer's R.M. Campbell.
wrote his 2nd quartet for the group in 1999 when they were still students, and his 3rd quartet for them in 2005. Gabriela Lena Frank
composed her Leyendas, an Andean Walkabout for String Quartet for the group in 2001, and her Ghosts in the Dream Machine piano quintet for the Chiara Quartet plus pianists Simone Dinnerstein in 2005. Robert Sirota wrote his Triptych, a commemoration of the victims of 9/11 for the quartet in 2002.
Upcoming commissions include new quartets from Gabriela Lena Frank, Nico Muhly
, Daniel Ott, and Huang Ruo for their 2010-2011 10th anniversary season as a part of their Club Premieres project.
Lincoln, Nebraska
The City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. The group is the Quartet-in-residence at the School of Music in the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and is also the Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University. The group is also in residence as faculty at the Greenwood Music Camp
Greenwood Music Camp
Greenwood Music Camp is a summer camp whose primary focus is chamber music. Other activities include soccer, crackabout, softball, capture the flag, a treasure hunt, charades, talent show, hikes up Mount Greylock, visits to art museums, a contra-dance and a visit to the Cummington Fair...
, a summer program for advanced high school musicians. The group's members are Rebecca Fischer and Hye Yung Julie Yoon, violins; Jonah Sirota, viola; and Gregory Beaver, cello.
In addition to traditional concertizing, in December 2006 the group began performing in bars and other unusual performance venues for a classical string quartet under the tagline "Chamber music in any chamber." This has brought them into bars such as The Brick in Kansas City, Missouri, Rose in Brooklyn, New York (New York Times review), Avogadro's Number in Fort Collins, Colorado, and Avantgarden in Houston, Texas.
In this and the following season, the quartet will be performing all 16 of Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist. A crucial figure in the transition between the Classical and Romantic eras in Western art music, he remains one of the most famous and influential composers of all time.Born in Bonn, then the capital of the Electorate of Cologne and part of...
's string quartets at Harvard University, the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Music at Deerfield in Northampton, Massachusetts.
Competitions and awards
The quartet's professional career started in 2000 with a Chamber Music America Rural Residency grant, placing the group in Grand Forks, North Dakota, where they lived until 2002. The group won the Senior String Gold Medal in the 2002 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and was a winner of the 2002 Astral Artistic Services National Auditions, and was selected as the Lisa Arnholdt graduate string quartet at the Juilliard School from 2003-2005. The quartet also won third prize in the 2005 Premio Paolo BorcianiPremio Paolo Borciani
The International String Quartet Competition "Premio Paolo Borciani" was created in 1987 in Reggio Emilia, Italy, and is dedicated to their famous fellow citizen, founder and first violin of the . Twenty years later, the Premio has now become one of the most prestigious competitions of the world,...
.
In addition to the CMA Rural residency grant that began their career, the group has been the recipient of a Commissioning grant and 3 Residency partnership grants from Chamber Music America, and a Meet the Composer grant.
The Chiara Quartet's recording of the Brahms and Mozart Clarinet Quintets was a Hot Pick of October 2006 for NET Radio. The Chiara Quartet's performance at Meany Hall in December of 2007 was selected as one of the highlights of the year by Seattle Post-Intelligencer's R.M. Campbell.
Commissions
From its beginning as a professional ensemble, the Chiara Quartet has actively commissioned new works for string quartet. Composer Jefferson FriedmanJefferson Friedman
Jefferson Friedman is an American composer.-Life:He received his M.M. degree in music composition from The Juilliard School, where he studied with John Corigliano, and his B.A. from Columbia University, where his teachers included David Rakowski and Jonathan Kramer...
wrote his 2nd quartet for the group in 1999 when they were still students, and his 3rd quartet for them in 2005. Gabriela Lena Frank
Gabriela Lena Frank
Gabriela Lena Frank is an American composer of contemporary classical music and pianist.- Biography :...
composed her Leyendas, an Andean Walkabout for String Quartet for the group in 2001, and her Ghosts in the Dream Machine piano quintet for the Chiara Quartet plus pianists Simone Dinnerstein in 2005. Robert Sirota wrote his Triptych, a commemoration of the victims of 9/11 for the quartet in 2002.
Upcoming commissions include new quartets from Gabriela Lena Frank, Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly
Nico Muhly is a contemporary classical music composer, who has worked and recorded with classical and pop/rock musicians. He currently lives in the Lower East Side section of Manhattan in New York City.-Early years:...
, Daniel Ott, and Huang Ruo for their 2010-2011 10th anniversary season as a part of their Club Premieres project.
Discography
The Chiara Quartet has released two shorter-length albums through their self-produced New Voice Singles series, and one album of clarinet quintets with clarinetist Håkan Rosengren on the SMS Classical label. SMS Classical has also contracted the quartet to record the complete Brahms string quartets plus the G Major viola quintet with violist Roger Tapping, release is expected in the near term.| Release date | Label | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2004 | Triptych: Robert Sirota | Chiara New Voice Singles |
| 2006 | Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout | Chiara New Voice Singles |
| 2006 | Quintets for Clarinets and Strings | SMS Classical |