-
Guestblog: Composer Cindy Cox talks about her new string quartet “Patagón”
Tomorrow will be an exciting day for me — I’ll get my first chance to hear my new string quartet, Patagón, premiered by the Alexander String Quartet. The quartet and I go way back — they performed and recorded my first quartet, Columba aspexit, sixteen years ago — hard for me to believe! We had… Continue Reading
-
The London String Quartet Competition Finalists Are Announced
This was a glorious day for lovers of the string quartet. Six almost world class ensembles gave distinctly different performances of some I’d the finest literature for the medium in possibly the best hall in the world. Each group rose to the occasion and the audiences met the performers more than halfway, as indeed they… Continue Reading
-
Sandy Says it’s Heating Up at the London International String Quartet Competition
The early spring heat wave may be breaking at last but the heat is only ramping up yet hotter for the competitors at the LISQC as the weekend bears down. The last of the preliminaries were completed today with fine performances by Switzerland’s Gemeaux Quartet, the American Attacca Quartet, the UK’s Piatti Quartet, Denmark’s Nightingale… Continue Reading
-
Sandy Reporting in after Preliminary Rounds of London International String Quartet
The 12th triennial London String Quartet Competition continues today, the third and penultimate day of “preliminary” rounds. The method is painstakingly fair for each of the 10 quartets and while the pace may be very tough on the jurors, it is extraordinarily compassionate for the participating ensembles. The overriding ethos at the London Competition endures,… Continue Reading
-
Sandy Reporting in live from the London International String Quartet Competition
London is almost balmy in these late dry and sunny March days. Many if not most school children as well as college and university students have either already begun or are desperately anticipating their spring term break – (usually 2 to 4 weeks here) and peeling off the layers to soak up some healthy rays.… Continue Reading
-
Michael Gandolfi – Winter Light: With Strings Attached
Recently featured on WNYC’s “New Sounds”, Michael Gandolfi’s Winter Light shows why this new composer is quickly becoming a star in more than just contemporary concert music. It is also another piece on the album inspired by poetry. The work consists of two movements, “Falling Snow” and “Opal,” which both come from American poet Amy… Continue Reading
-
Stephen Leek – Hollow Stone: With Strings Attached
With Strings Attached features so many wonderful new works and new transcriptions, it’s hard not to be excited by them all! One of the greatest parts of having a collaborative album with as fine of an ensemble as the San Francisco Choral Artists is that it allows us to release many new compositions we wouldn’t… Continue Reading
-
Veronika Krausas – language of the birds
With Strings Attached features a multitude of collaborations with new music as well as a partnership with the San Francisco Choral Artists. The first work on this recording is not only inspired by the two San Francisco ensembles, and the city itself, it is also inspired by a San Francisco art installation of the same… Continue Reading
-
Sunday Dvorak Double-Header
Sunday marks another “double-header” with the Mondavi Center for the Performing Arts! Following on the heels of its exploration of Beethoven’s complete string quartets, Mondavi Center mainstays the Alexander String Quartet celebrates its 30th anniversary with a focus on Czech composer Antonin Dvořák. A fixture in the major music capitals of four continents, the Quartet… Continue Reading
-
Meet Alec Chien
ASQ will perform will perform a free concert at 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, March 8, with guest artist Alec Chienin Ford Memorial Chapel at Allegheny College. So in the meantime, we wanted to share a little about Mr. Chien! Alec Chien received his bachelor’s, master’s and doctor of musical arts degrees from the Juilliard School… Continue Reading
-
Performing with the Asheville Chamber Music Series
Alexander String Quartet performs this evening at the Asheville Unitarian Church as a part of the Asheville Chamber Music Series. “The 2011-12 season marks the fifty-ninth year of the Asheville Chamber Music Series (ACMS), which has sponsored over 240 concerts by some of the world’s finest classical musicians over the past five decades. One of… Continue Reading
-
The ASQ at The Miller School of Albemarle
The ASQ stopped by the Miller School of Albemarle prep school in Charlottesville, VA this past week, so we’ve got some pictures and videos from the concert to share: Watch a video of Sandy performing for the students on our Facebook Page! Continue Reading
