FORTAS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SEASON

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1 Press Release FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 4, 2014 The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts announces its FORTAS CHAMBER MUSIC SERIES SEASON featuring Anonymous 4 Dover Quartet Emerson String Quartet Imani Winds Sharon Isbin and Isabel Leonard Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Leonidas Kavakos and Christoph Eschenbach Edgar Meyer Miró Quartet with Sasha Cooke The Myriad Trio with special guest Anthony McGill Christina and Michelle Naughton Quatour Ebène (WASHINGTON, D.C.) The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts enters its 18th season under the artistic directorship of renowned pianist Joseph Kalichstein. A dozen events will bring the variety, exploration, and hallmark sense of adventure to the 32nd season of the Fortas Series. Debuts and eminent artists, innovative programs and great classics, give the series its characteristic excellence. STRING QUARTETS Headlining the string quartets of the season is the Emerson String Quartet. Long known as one of the finest string quartets anywhere, its annual visit to the Fortas series is always eagerly anticipated. The contrasting selections by Purcell, Beethoven, and Ravel will illuminate the Emerson s distinctive -more-

2 range and virtuosity. The series will additionally welcome the Dover Quartet in its Kennedy Center debut. This young ensemble swept the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, winning the Grand Prize, the R.S. Williams & Sons Haydn Prize for the best performance of Haydn, the Székely Prize for the best performance of Schubert, and the Canadian Commission Prize for the best performance of a newly commissioned work. The France-based Quatour Ebène brings its trademark blend of classics and jazz, and the Miró Quartet joins forces with mezzo-soprano Sasha Cooke for Schubert Lieder including Der Tod und das Mädchen then renders Schubert s String Quartet Death and the Maiden. VOCAL CELEBRATIONS Additional vocal splendors of the season include Anonymous 4 and On Yoolis Night, songs and carols from the British Isles, one of their earliest, and one of their most beloved, programs. Sharon Isbin and mezzo-soprano Isabel Leonard join forces for music of García Lorca, Falla, Madriguera, and more, as part of the Kennedy Center s international festival, Iberian Suite: arts remix across continents. TRIOS The Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio, the Kennedy Center s Chamber Ensemble in Residence, returns for its annual appearance on the Fortas Series, bringing one of Haydn s amazingly inventive trios, Dvořák s early G minor Trio imbued with the composer s loss of his young daughter and Tchaikovsky s Trio in A minor. A trio of very different tonal hues is The Myriad Trio with special guest clarinetist Anthony McGill, with harp, flute, and viola combined with the clarinet. FOUR SINGULAR EVENTS Woodwinds abound in the Imani Winds recital, featuring music of Debussy, Hindemith, Haas, and an arrangement of excerpts from Stravinsky s The Rite of Spring. Another Rite in Stravinsky s own spectacular two-piano, four-hand version will appear in the recital of pianists Christina and Michelle Naughton, who will also perform Witold Lutosławski s intricate Paganini Variations for Two Pianos. The sisters have captured attention and appreciation around the world with their virtuosity and artistry, and their ability to play as one musical unit. As part of the Leonidas Kavakos residency at the Kennedy Center, which showcases the violinist as soloist and as conductor in performances with the NSO, the remarkable Greek musician and Christoph Eschenbach will appear together in a program of 2

3 chamber music. Bassist Edgar Meyer offers a solo recital that will includes Bach s Cello Suite No. 1 and a work currently in progress by Meyer himself. ADDITIONAL CHAMBER MUSIC AT THE KENNEDY CENTER In addition to the dozen concerts on the Fortas Chamber Music Series, the Kennedy Center offers four performances by the Kennedy Center Chamber Players, and regular appearances by members of the National Symphony Orchestra and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra. Another facet of chamber music on the Millennium Stage is the Kennedy Center s Conservatory Project. This weeklong semi-annual event occurs in February and April, presenting the best young musical artists in classical, jazz, musical theater, opera, and more from our nation s leading undergraduate and graduate conservatories, colleges, and universities. Additionally, the Millennium Stage hosts students in the National Symphony s Youth Fellowship Program, a career development program for aspiring high school musicians. ABOUT THE FORTAS CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS SERIES The season marks the 32nd season of the Kennedy Center's chamber music series, established in the season by Marta Istomin, who, at the time, was the Kennedy Center s Artistic Director. Through its history the series has featured frequent appearances by artists such as the Guarneri, Emerson, and Juilliard Quartets; early music ensembles Tallis Scholars, Trio Medieval, and the Waverly Consort; recitals by Eugene Istomin, Emanuel Ax, Edgar Meyer, Susan Graham, Isaac Stern, and Chee- Yun; as well as ensembles that actively perform and commission new works, among them eighth blackbird (they commissioned Reich s Pulitzer Prize-winning Double Sextet) and Imani Winds; as well as many other distinguished artists. The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts, established as part of the Terrace Concerts during the season, began a vibrant new life in the season when in addition to the generous contributions of loyal supporters of the Fortas Fund income from a major gift to the Fortas Fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas, became available to support the artistic programming. The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts series is named for the former Supreme Court Justice, who was instrumental in the creation of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and later, the Terrace Theater. The Kennedy Center s board of trustees established the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund in 1982 for the support of concerts in the Terrace Theater, and for the further development of the musical programs he envisioned. 3

4 FORTAS CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS IN THE TERRACE THEATER SCHEDULE Date October 8, 2014 November 7, 2014 November 13, 2014 Artists Dover Quartet Quatour Ebène Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianists December 11, 2014 Anonymous 4 February 10, 2015 March 1, 2015 March 24, 2015 March 26, 2015 April 8, 2015 April 29, 2015 May 11, 2015 May 19, 2015 Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Imani Winds Sharon Isbin and Isabel Leonard Emerson String Quartet Edgar Meyer Miró Quartet with Sasha Cooke Leonidas Kavakos and Christoph Eschenbach The Myriad Trio with special guest Anthony McGill Artists and performances are subject to change. FORTAS CHAMBER MUSIC CONCERTS IN THE TERRACE THEATER Season Program Listing Dover Quartet (Kennedy Center debut) Wednesday, October 14, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. Bryan Lee, violin Joel Link, violin Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, viola Camden Shaw, cello Glazunov Five Novelettes for String Quartet, Op. 15 Mozart String Quartet No. 20 in D major, K. 499 Hoffmeister Schubert String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 Rosamunde 4

5 Quatour Ebène Friday, November 7, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. Pierre Colombet, violin Gabriel Le Magadure, violin Mathieu Herzog, viola Raphaël Merlin, cello Haydn String Quartet No. 23 in F minor, Op. 20, No. 5 Mendelssohn String Quartet in A minor, Op. 13 Jazz Repertoire TBA Christina and Michelle Naughton, pianists Thursday, November 13, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. Brahms Variations on a Theme of Haydn* Debussy En Blanc et noir Lutosławski Variations on a Theme of Paganini for Two Pianos Stravinsky The Rite of Spring* *Four-hand piano versions by the composers Anonymous 4 Thursday, December 11, 2014, at 7:30 p.m. Ruth Cunningham Marsha Genensky Susan Hellauer Jacqueline Horner-Kwiatek Anonymous 4 s beloved holiday program On Yoolis Night brings together lullaby carols from the British Isles ranging from the 14th to the 20th centuries. Kalichstein-Laredo-Robinson Trio Tuesday, February 10, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Joseph Kalichstein, piano Jaime Laredo, violin Sharon Robinson, cello Haydn Piano Trio in E minor, Hob. XV, No. 12 Dvořák Piano Trio in G minor, Op. 26 Tchaikovsky Piano Trio in A minor, Op. 50 5

6 Imani Winds Sunday, March 1, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Valerie Coleman, flute Toyin Spellman-Diaz, oboe Mariam Adam, clarinet Jeff Scott, horn Monica Ellis, bassoon Coleman* Tzigane Hindemith Kleine Kammermusik, Op. 24 Haas Wind Quintet, Op. 10 Debussy Bruyeres, arr. Kowalewski Stravinsky Excerpts from The Rite of Spring, arr.russell Trad. Klezmer Dances, arr. Kavadlo *Valerie Coleman, of Imani Winds Sharon Isbin and Isabel Leonard Sharon Isbin, guitar Isabel Leonard, mezzo-soprano Tuesday, March 24, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. García Lorca Canciones españolas antiguas, arr. Isbin Tárrega Recuerdos de la Alhambra Albéniz Asturias, arr. Segovia Rodrigo Aranjuez ma pensée Madriguera Adios, arr. Almeida Morante Canciones sefardíes Tárrega Capricho árabe Mangoré Waltz, Op. 8, No. 4 Falla Siete canciones populares españolas, arr. Pujol/Llobet Emerson String Quartet Thursday, March 26, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Philip Setzer, violin Eugene Drucker, violin Lawrence Dutton, viola Paul Watkins, cello Purcell Purcell Beethoven Ravel Two Fantasias Chacony, arr. Britten String Quartet in E-flat major, Op. 74 Harp String Quartet in F major 6

7 Edgar Meyer, doublebass Wednesday, April 8, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Bach Suite No. 1, BWV 1007 Meyer Work in progress for unaccompanied double bass Additional selections will be announced from the stage Miró Quaret with Sasha Cooke Wednesday, April 29, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Daniel Ching, violin William Fedkenheuer, violin John Largess, viola Joshua Gindele, cello Sasha Cooke, mezzo-soprano Schubert Schubert Wolf Copland Copland Selected Songs Im Frühling Gretchen am Spinnrade Litanei auf des Fest aller Seelen Erlkönig Der Tod und das Mädchen String Quartet in D minor, D. 810 Der Tod und das Mädchen Mörike Lieder, arr. Largesse Gebet In der Frühe Der Tambour Um Mitternacht Fußreise Rondino from Two Pieces for String Quartet Selections from Old American Songs, arr. Largesse Simple Gifts All the Pretty Little Horses At the River Ching-a-Ring Chaw Leonidas Kavakos, violin Christoph Eschenbach, piano Monday, May 11, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Part of the Leonidas Kavakos Residency. Repertoire for this program will be announced at a later date. 7

8 The Myriad Trio with Anthony McGill, clarinet Tuesday, May 19, 2015, at 7:30 p.m. Julie Ann Smith, harp Demarre McGill, flute Che-Yun Chen, viola Anthony McGill, clarinet Bax Elegiac Trio David Bruce The Eye of Night Jan Bach Eisteddfod Dvořák Slavonic Dances, arr. Webster Debussy Sonata Artists and performances are subject to change. FUNDING CREDITS: The Fortas Chamber Music Concerts are supported by generous contributors to the Abe Fortas Memorial Fund, and by a major gift to the fund from the late Carolyn E. Agger, widow of Abe Fortas. The Presenting Underwriter of Iberian Suite: arts remix across continents is the HRH Foundation, with major support provided by David and Alice Rubenstein. The Millennium Stage is brought to you by Target and the J. Willard and Alice S. Marriott Foundation, and was created and underwritten by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs to make the performing arts accessible to everyone in fulfillment of the Kennedy Center's mission to its community and the nation. Additional funding is provided by DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, The Isadore and Bertha Gudelsky Family Foundation, Inc., Jaylee M. Mead, The Meredith Foundation, The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Dr. Deborah Rose and Dr. Jan A.J. Stolwijk, U.S. Department of Education, and the Millennium Stage Endowment Fund. The Millennium Stage Endowment Fund was made possible by James A. Johnson and Maxine Isaacs, Fannie Mae Foundation, James V. Kimsey, Gilbert and Jaylee Mead, Mortgage Bankers Association of America, and other anonymous gifts to secure the future of the Millennium Stage. The Conservatory Project is made possible by Michael F. and Noémi K. Neidorff and the Centene Charitable Foundation. Generous support for the Youth Fellowship Program is provided by The Morris and Gwendolyn Cafritz Foundation, Sandra K. and Clement C. Alpert, U.S. Department of Education, The Charles Engelhard Foundation, The Markow-Totevy Foundation, Myra and Leura Younker Endowment Fund, and National Symphony Orchestra musicians. International Programming at the Kennedy Center is made possible through the generosity of the Kennedy Center International Committee on the Arts. 8

9 Education and related artistic programs are also made possible through the generosity of the National Committee for the Performing Arts and the President s Advisory Committee on the Arts. TICKETS AND INFORMATION: Tickets and information are available from the Kennedy Center Box Office, web site, and Instant Charge, (202) Patrons living outside the metropolitan Washington area may call toll-free at (800) , or online at For more information about the Kennedy Center, please visit Please visit facebook.com/kennedycenter for behind-the-scenes news, special offers, advance notice of events and other related Kennedy Center Facebook pages. on Twitter for up-to-the-minute news, offers and more. Patrons 30 and under and active-duty members of the military are invited to join the Kennedy Center s MyTix program for special discount offers and chances to win free tickets. For more information, please visit # # # # # PRESS CONTACT * TICKETS & INFORMATION: Patricia O Kelly (202) ; (800) (202) pjokelly@kennedy-center.org *Please do not publish contact information. 9