17 ECMSA 18 EMORY CHAMBER MUSIC EMERSON S E R I E S SOCIETY OF ATLANTA William Ransom, artistic director THE VEGA STRING QUARTET ELIZABETH FAYETTE, VIOLIN; JESSICA SHUANG WU, VIOLIN; YINZI KONG, VIOLA; AND GUANG WANG, CELLO WITH ELIZABETH PRIDGEN, PIANO SATURDAY, MARCH 24, 2018, 8:00 P.M. EMERSON CONCERT HALL SCHWARTZ CENTER FOR PERFORMING ARTS
PROGRAM Quartet in B-flat Major, op. 1, No. 1 Presto Minuet Adagio Minuet Finale: Presto Franz Joseph Haydn (1732 1809) Quartet in E-flat Major, op. 74 Ludwig van Beethoven Poco adagio Allegro (1770 1827) Adagio ma non troppo Presto Più presto quasi prestissimo Allegretto con variazioni INTERMISSION Piano Quintet in C Minor, op. 1 Allegro Scherzo (Allegro vivace) Adagio, quasi andante Finale (Allegro animato Allegro) Elizabeth Pridgen, piano Ernő Dohnányi (1877 1960) 2
THE VEGA STRING QUARTET ELIZABETH FAYETTE AND JESSICA SHUANG WU, VIOLINS; YINZI KONG, VIOLA; GUANG WANG, CELLO The Vega String Quartet, quartet in residence at Emory University, is cultivating a new generation of chamber music lovers through dynamic performances and innovative community engagement. The New York Times raved that [the quartet s] playing had a kind of clean intoxication to it, pulling the listener along... the musicians took real risks in their music making and the Los Angeles Times praised their triumphant L.A. debut. They concertize both nationally and internationally, most recently in Baltimore, Chicago, Nashville, Sacramento, Berlin, San Miguel, and the Brahmssaal in Vienna s Musikverein. The quartet s major performing projects at Emory have included performing the complete cycle of Beethoven quartets, as well as pairing Bach s complete works for solo violin, viola, and cello with the six Bartók quartets. The quartet has also developed a series of Jazz Meets Classics programs, bringing the two genres together. One of the unique aspects of the quartet s residency at Emory is to bring performance into the classroom, collaborating with academic professors to create interdisciplinary parallels and conversations. The quartet also enriches the cultural life of its community, having founded the Emory Youth Chamber Music program, which gives intensive training in small ensemble playing to advanced pre-college students. The quartet was appointed to the roster of the Woodruff Arts Center s Young Audiences program, engaging thousands of students throughout the greater-atlanta school system. It has also held residencies in Augusta, Jacksonville, and Juneau, which combined traditional performances with educational outreach, performances in nontraditional venues, and masterclasses for area students. The Vega String Quartet has won numerous international awards, including at the Bordeaux String Quartet Competition, as well as top prizes from the Coleman Chamber Ensemble Competition, the Carmel Chamber Music Competition, and the National Society of Arts and Letters String Quartet Competition. The quartet tours throughout Asia, Europe, and North America, and it has appeared at Weill Hall and Zankel Hall at Carnegie Hall, Bargemusic, and Duke Hall at the Royal Academy of Music, London. The members of the quartet collaborate with some of the world s finest musicians including Andres Cardenes, Eliot Fisk, Christopher O Riley, William Preucil, Richard Stoltzman, Robert Spano, Charles Wadsworth, Peter Wiley, and the Eroica Trio. It also commissions, premieres, and records works by leading composers. The quartet is a frequent guest at numerous music festivals including Amelia Island, Aspen, Brevard, Highlands-Cashiers, Juneau Jazz and Classics, Kingston, Mostly Mozart, Rockport, San Miguel de Allende, and SummerFest La Jolla. The Vega String Quartet s Residency at Emory University is supported by the Rebecca Katz-Doft Chamber Music Endowment. Visit vegaquartet.com, friend them on Facebook, or write vega@vegaquartet.com for more information. 3
ELIZABETH PRIDGEN, PIANO Pianist Elizabeth Pridgen enjoys a distinguished career as both a soloist and chamber musician. In 2014 she was appointed artistic director of the Atlanta Chamber Players. Pridgen has appeared in concerts at Carnegie s Zankel Hall and Weill Recital Hall, Spivey Hall in Atlanta, Rising Stars Series at the Ravinia Festival in Chicago, and in recitals in London; Amsterdam; Rotterdam; Washington, D.C.; Miami; San Francisco; and throughout the Southeast. She performs regularly at festivals including the Rome Chamber Music Festival in Rome, Italy; the Kon-Tiki Chamber Music Festival in Norway; the Aspen Music Festival; the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival; Madison Chamber Music Festival; and the Highlands-Cashiers Chamber Music Festival. Pridgen has collaborated with such artists as Elmar Oliveira, Robert McDuffie, Anne Akiko Meyers, Nadja Salerno-Sonnenberg, Lynn Harrell, the Diaz String Trio, Cuarteto Latinoamericano, and the American String Quartet. Pridgen is a member of the Cortona Trio with violinist Amy Schwartz Moretti and cellist Julie Albers, and the Georgian Chamber Players. Pridgen is a distinguished artist and piano chair at the McDuffie Center for Strings, and she holds the G. Leslie Fabian Piano Chair at the Townsend School of Music at Mercer University. Her recordings include the Liszt transcription of Berlioz s Harold in Italy on Orchid Classics and the soon to be released by Artek is Chausson s Concert for Violin and Piano with violinist Andrés Cárdenes and the Vega String Quartet. Pridgen began her piano studies at age five, and her first concert appearances were with her grandfather, violinist Martin Sauser, former concertmaster of the Atlanta Symphony. She received a master of music degree from the Juilliard School (2003) where she studied with Joseph Kalichstein and a bachelor s degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Music as a student of Ann Schein. 4
UPCOMING MUSIC EVENTS Go to music.emory.edu to view the complete list of upcoming music events. Ticket prices are listed in the following order: Full price/discount category member price/emory student price (unless otherwise noted as the price for all students). For more information contact the Arts at Emory Box Office at 404.727.5050, or visit arts.emory.edu. Sunday, March 25, 5:00 p.m., Eric Newell, voice/choral conducting, undergraduate recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Thursday, March 29, 7:00 p.m., Barenaked Voices: 15th Annual Emory Student A Cappella Celebration, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, all tickets $5 Saturday, March 31, 2:00 p.m., Xiaochen Chen, voice, undergraduate honors recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Tuesday, April 3, 8:00 p.m., Emory Jazz Combos, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Saturday, April 7, 2:00 p.m., Rachel Chon, piano, undergraduate recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Saturday, April 7, 5:00 p.m., Haley Matthews, bassoon, undergraduate honors recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Sunday, April 8, 4:00 p.m., Atlanta s Young Artists, ECMSA: Family Series, Michael C. Carlos Museum, free Sunday, April 8, 5:00 p.m., Amanda Melton, harp, undergraduate honors recital, Schwartz Center, Emerson Concert Hall, free Thursday, April 12, 6:00 p.m., Jazz on the Green, Patterson Green, free Arts at Emory Box Office/Audience Information 404.727.5050 arts.emory.edu IN CONSIDERATION Please turn off all electronic devices. PHOTOGRAPHS AND RECORDINGS Not permitted without advance permission. COUGH DROPS Available in the lobby. USHERS Members of Music at Emory Volunteers and Alpha Phi Omega, a national service and social fraternity. Call 404.727.6640 for ushering opportunities. EVENT AND PROGRAM INFORMATION Available online at arts.emory.edu. BACK COVER PHOTOS Courtesy of Emory Photo/Video. TREE LIGHTS AND EXTERIOR IN-GROUND BUILDING LIGHTS Made possible by a generous gift from Donna and Marvin Schwartz. 5