The Carthage Chamber Music Series — 2011-12 Season

The Carthage Chamber Music Series is made possible with a grant from the Helen C. Smolenski Chamber Music Fund of the Racine Community Foundation. Concerts are held in A.F. Siebert Chapel. Free pre-concert lectures are held before most of the concerts in the H.F. Johnson Recital Hall.

Ticket information:
Tickets cost $10, $8 for students and senior citizens. A season pass to all three concerts is $20, $16 for students and senior citizens. No reservations are required. Tickets will be available at the door. For ticket information, call (262) 551-5859.

Carthage faculty receive two complimentary season passes. Carthage students receive one complimentary season pass, which can be picked up at JAC 211.

• • •

Toronto Consort
Sunday, Oct. 9 — 3 p.m., A.F. Siebert Chapel

A free pre-concert lecture begins at 2 p.m. in the H.F. Johnson Recital Hall.

Whether portraying the haunting emotion of a minstrel's ballad or capturing the sparkle of a rollicking madrigal, The Toronto Consort brings alive the glorious music of earlier times. Since its founding in 1972, the Consort has become internationally recognized for excellence in the performance of medieval, renaissance and early baroque music. Its members include both singers and instrumentalists (lute, recorder, guitar, flute, early keyboards and percussion). The group often works in collaboration with actors, dancers and other visual artists to produce concerts that have dramatic as well as musical appeal.

States the Halifax Chronicle Herald: "Since the founding of The Toronto Consort in 1972, Canada can boast a world-class early music ensemble worthy of the attention of any musically literate ear. ... Their closely matched phrasing, intonation and tonal shading was worthy of the finest string quartet."

The Toronto Consort is heard frequently on Canadian and international radio and television, and has appeared with the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, and the North German Radio Orchestra. Its many recordings include The Praetorius Christmas Vespers, The DaVinci Collection, The Queen: Music for Elizabeth I, The Way of the Pilgrim, Mariners and Milkmaids, The Little Barley-Corne, Nowell Sing We, the Juno-nominated Full Well She Sang, Orlando di Lasso: Chanson and Madrigals, and O Lusty May.

Unusual for an early music ensemble, but further evidence of the Consort's versatility and virtuosity, is its contemporary repertoire. Canadian composers such as John Beckwith, Lothar Klein and David Keane have written pieces especially for The Toronto Consort. The Toronto Consort recorded the soundtrack for Atom Egoyan's award-winning film The Sweet Hereafter.

"Toronto should count its blessings that it has an ensemble like the Consort to expose it to the masterpieces of Early Music. From soloists to musicians to conductor David Fallis, this was early music-making at its very best."
— Toronto Star

• • •

Daedalus Quartet
Friday, Nov. 11 — 7:30 p.m., A.F. Siebert Chapel

A free pre-concert lecture begins at 6:30 p.m. in the H.F. Johnson Recital Hall.

Praised by The New Yorker as "a fresh and vital young participant in what is a golden age of American string quartets," the Daedalus Quartet has established itself as a leader among the new generation of string ensembles. The quartet has received plaudits from critics and listeners alike for the security, technical finish, interpretive unity, and sheer gusto of its performances. The New York Times has praised the Daedalus Quartet's "insightful and vibrant" Haydn, the "impressive intensity" of their Beethoven, their "luminous" Berg, and the "riveting focus" of their Dutilleux. The Washington Post in turn has acclaimed their performance of Mendelssohn for its "rockets of blistering virtuosity," while the Houston Chronicle has described the "silvery beauty" of their Schubert and the "magic that hushed the audience" when they played Ravel.

Since its founding 10 years ago, the Daedalus Quartet has performed in many of the world's leading musical venues: Carnegie Hall, Lincoln Center (Great Performers series), the Library of Congress, the Musikverein in Vienna, the Mozarteum in Salzburg, the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam, the Cité de la Musique in Paris, and in leading venues in Japan.

The Daedalus Quartet is known for its adventurous exploration of contemporary music, most notably the compositions of Elliott Carter, George Perle, György Kurtág and György Ligeti. In April 2012, Daedalus will premiere a new quartet from Joan Tower, commissioned for them by Chamber Music Monterey Bay. The Quartet has also collaborated with some of the world's finest instrumentalists, including pianists Marc-André Hamelin, Simone Dinnerstein, Awadagin Pratt, Joyce Yang, and Benjamin Hochman; clarinetists Paquito D’Rivera, David Shifrin, and Alexander Fiterstein; and violists Roger Tapping and Donald Weilerstein.

Founding members violinist Min-Young Kim and cellist Raman Ramakrishnan grew up in East Patchogue, Long Island; they met violist Jessica Thompson, a Minneapolis native, at the Marlboro Festival. Violinist Ara Gregorian joined the Daedalus Quartet in early March 2010.

"One of the freshest and most exciting of the younger American ensembles."
— The New Yorker

• • •

New Century Saxophone Quartet
Sunday, March 11 — 3 p.m., A.F. Siebert Chapel

A free pre-concert lecture begins at 2 p.m. in the H.F. Johnson Recital Hall.

The versatile New Century Saxophone Quartet is the only ensemble of its kind to win First Prize of the Concert Artists Guild Competition. This ensemble's program ranges from the baroque, to innovative contemporary works, to imaginative transcriptions.

New Century has received grants from the National Endowment of the Arts, The Aaron Copland Recording Fund, Chamber Music America and the North Carolina Arts Council. The group has been heard in major concert venues in Los Angeles, New York and Amsterdam; on radio and television in the United States, Europe and Central America, including its own radio series in North Carolina; in recordings for the Channel Classics label; and in unusual concert settings, ranging from two command performances for President Clinton in the White House to a concerto performance with the United States Navy Band.

Moving beyond the traditional repertory for four saxophones, New Century performs works covering composers from Jan P. Sweelinck (1562-1621), Bach and Mozart, to Carol Florio, a turn-of-the-century American composer who was one of the first composers for saxophone quartet; and genres from Classical works to contemporary works with funk and jazz influences.

"They're stimulating and refreshing. These guys aren't just saxophonists, they're consummate, dedicated, and professional musicians that stand up to the best of chamber ensembles of any instrumentation anywhere."
— Saxophone Journal

Biography information courtesy of the artists' websites.

The Schedule

Oct. 9 • 3 p.m.

Toronto Consort

A.F. Siebert Chapel

Nov. 11 • 7:30 p.m.

Daedalus Quartet

A.F. Siebert Chapel

March 11 • 3 p.m.

New Century Saxophone Quartet

A.F. Siebert Chapel