The Mary Baldwin University Music Department is excited to announce the next Carl Broman Concert, featuring the much-anticipated return of the stunning Pacifica Quartet. Area audiences will not want to miss the opportunity to hear these exceptional artists, who will take the stage on Monday, February 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Francis Auditorium at MBU.
Recognized for its virtuosity, exuberant performance style, and often-daring repertory choices, over the past twenty-five years the Pacifica Quartet has achieved international recognition as one of the finest chamber ensembles performing today. This string quartet’s performances have been described as “brilliant,” “astonishing,” “gripping,” “breathtaking,” and filled with “spine-tingling intensity.” The quartet performs frequently around the country and around the world, including recent performances at Carnegie Hall, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, London’s Wigmore Hall, and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They are currently the quartet-in-residence at Indiana University’s renowned Jacobs School of Music, and they were also recently appointed to lead the Center for Advanced Quartet Studies at the prestigious Aspen Music Festival and School.
Formed in 1994, the Pacifica Quartet quickly won chamber music’s top competitions, including the Naumburg Chamber Music Award, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award, and a prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant. In 2009, they won the Grammy Award for Best Chamber Music Performance and were also named “Ensemble of the Year” by Musical America. They have recorded over a dozen CDs and consistently receive rave reviews for their concerts and recordings. When praising one of their recent Shostakovich recordings, a reviewer from London’s Daily Telegraph described their playing as “nothing short of phenomenal.”
They have chosen a fantastic program for the Mary Baldwin audience, including two string quartets by Beethoven, in honor of the 250th anniversary of his birth. They will play Beethoven’s Quartet in C Minor, op. 18, no. 4, as well as the Quartet in F Minor, op. 95, “Serioso.” And they will close the program with the exciting Quartet no. 2 in A Major of Shostakovich.
Single tickets for the Pacifica Quartet may be purchased at the door; they are $25 for the general public, $20 for seniors, and $5 for non-MBU students. Click here for more information and purchase tickets online, or call 540-887-7294.