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Quartet Series
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| Oct. 14 |
ST. LAWRENCE QUARTET |
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| Return Home | Thursday, October 14/10 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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The St. Lawrence celebrated its 20th anniversary during the 08-09 season. The foremost North American quartet of its generation, the St. Lawrence began its long association with MTO in 1992, and was quartet-in-residence for 1995-98 and 2006-07. Violinist Geoff Nuttall and violist Lesley Robertson are founding members; cellist Chris Costanza and violinist Scott St. John join them. The quartet now regularly performs over 100 concerts a year, throughout the US and Canada and around the world. The SLSQ is also dedicated to inspiring the next generation, as ensemble-in-residence at Stanford University in California since 1998 and as visiting artists to the University of Toronto since 1995.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Nov. 4 |
PRAZAK QUARTET |
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| Return Home | Thursday, November 4/10 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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Vaclav Remes had to relinquish his role as first violinist due to a muscle condition in his left hand. The Prazak Quartet has secured the superb Pavel Hula (far right in photo) to succeed Remes. Pavel Hula was first violinist of the Kocian Quartet (MTO concerts in Nov. 94 and Nov. 96). He joins Josef Kluson (viola), Michal Kanka (cello), Vlastimil Holek (violin), (from left to right) to continue the quartet’s 38-year tradition. The Prazak records exclusively for Praga Digitals/AMC, Paris which, to date, has released 35 award-winning CDs. The Prazak played 5 previous MTO concerts, in 93, 95, 97, 02 and March 09; we are sure they will continue to represent the best of the unique Czech quartet tradition on music worldwide.
* Like Franz Xavier Richter, whose Quartet Divertimento they played in March 09, Mica is a 17th century Moravian composer the Prazak have rediscovered.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Nov. 18 |
GRYPHON TRIO |
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| Return Home | Thursday, November 18/10 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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Music TORONTO continues its special relationship with the Gryphon Trio, begun in the early 90s and including 10 seasons as our ensemble-in-residence (1998-2008). Violinist Annalee Patipatanakoon, cellist Roman Borys and pianist Jamie Parker live in Toronto and teach at U of T, where Jamie is the Rupert E. Edwards Chair in Piano Performance. Beginning their 18th season, the Trio plays across Canada and around the world, enjoying a reputation for beautiful sound, superb ensemble and the highest order of musical sensitivity. The Ottawa Citizen.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Dec. 9 | |||||||||||
| Return Home | Thursday, December 9/10 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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The Pacifica Quartet made its Toronto debut on this series in November 1999, after it captured the Naumburg Chamber Music Award. In the decade since, the quartet has built a solid international career - and amassed a singular list of honours: most recently, Musical America's Ensemble of the Year for 2009 and the 2009 Grammy for Best Chamber Music Performance for its recording of Elliot Carter's 1st and 5th quartets. Formed in 1994 on the US West Coast (hence the quartet's name), the Pacifica share a special history of friendship and musical collaboration. Violinists Simin Ganatra and Sibbi Bernhardsson and cellist Brandon Ramos began playing together as teenagers; Sibbi later introduced violist Masumi Per Rostad to his friends.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Jan. 13 |
TOKYO STRING QUARTET |
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| Return Home | Thursday, January 13/11 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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This is concert #5 of a 6-concert Beethoven cycle which concludes on April 14 The Tokyo celebrated its 40th season in Japan in February 2010 – and this is their 41st concert for MTO, having played here almost every season since its first visit in 1974. Clockwise from top left above: violist Kazuhide Isomura is a founding member. Cellist Clive Greensmith joined in 1999. Violinist Kikuei Ikeda joined in 1974, and Canadian violinist Martin Beaver in 2002. They are completing their recording of the Beethoven quartets for Harmonia Mundi USA.. The Tokyo performs on "The Paganini Quartet," a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolo Paganini, who acquired and played them during the 19th century.
TICKETS $40, $36
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| Jan. 27 |
PHILHARMONIA QUARTET BERLIN |
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| Return Home | Thursday, January 27/11 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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We had invited the Berlin to return on this date when we learned of the sudden death of cellist Jan Diessselhorst in February 2009. Until that sad event, the membership of Philharmonia Quartet Berlin had never changed. Cellist Dietmar Schwalke (second from the right) looks forward to continuing the tradition of superb ensemble playing, and we look forward to hearing the PBQ in its new formation. Founded in 1984, the PQB brings more than 20 years of ensemble perfection to their 7th concert for MTO. Violinist Daniel Stabrawa joined the famed Berlin Philharmonic in 1983 and has been Principal Concertmaster since 1986. Violist Neithard Resa, also a Berliner, joined the BPO as Principal Violist in 1978. Violinist Christian Stadelmann, a native Berliner, joined the BPO in 1985.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Mar. 3 | BOREALIS QUARTET | ||||||||||
| Return Home | Thursday, March 3/11 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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Founded in Vancouver in the fall of 2000, the Borealis is now String Quartet-in-Residence at the University of British Columbia. The quartet has played throughout North America, and recent performances have included tours of Mexico and Taiwan, concerts in New York, Washington. Seattle, Montreal and Ottawa, and also their debut in Japan. Previous MTO concert in Oct. 04. Patricia Shih and Yuel Tawney, violinsts, Nikita Pogrebnoy, violist, and Shih-Lin Chen, cellist, are privileged to play fine Italian instruments loaned to them by the CHIMEI Culture Foundation of Taiwan.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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| Apr. 14 | TOKYO STRING QUARTET | ||||||||||
| Return Home | Thursday, April 14/11 at 8 p.m. | ||||||||||
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This concert concludes the complete cycle of the Beethoven string quartets that the Tokyo began in January 2009. The Tokyo has played here almost every season since its first visit in 1974. Clockwise from top left above: violist Kazuhide Isomura is a founding member. Cellist Clive Greensmith joined in 1999. Violinist Kikuei Ikeda joined in 1974, and Canadian violinist Martin Beaver in 2002. They are completing their recording of the Beethoven quartets for Harmonia Mundi USA. The Tokyo performs on "The Paganini Quartet," a group of renowned Stradivarius instruments named for legendary virtuoso Niccolo Paganini, who acquired and played them during the 19th century.
TICKETS $40, $36 |
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