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SLSQ performing Dvorak Op. 106 in Europe
News
25 February 2010
SLSQ proves that music has no boundaries--even behind bars
Violinist Scott St. John reports from the road:
What a great experience! While in Anchorage, we visited a women's prison-- the only prison in the US with a string orchestra program.
Getting ready for the visit was part of the experience, as we had to send copies of our drivers license for security checks. The night of our visit to the Hiland Mountain Correctional Center, even weather was an adventure-- roads were icy, there were a half-dozen SUVs overturned in the center median of the highway. A surly guard confiscated our wallets, coats and cell phones. We all filed into the "airlock" chamber and entered a hospital-like hallway. No one had told us what to expect, so I was a bit apprehensive as we found our way to the big multi-purpose gym room.
Seated in front of music stands were about 16 women of varying ages, all looking very colorful in their orange prison outfits. And they went nuts when we arrived, cheering and clapping! The mood was suddenly almost giddy. We got out our instruments, Geoff made introductions, and we launched into some Haydn. Within about 5 seconds we knew that we had a dream audience-- the ladies were reacting immediately to the sound, emotion & joy of the Haydn. They laughed at the unexpected bars of rest, some had tears in their eyes-- very rarely have we had such a strong immediate reaction!
As we continued our program, there was lots of dialogue and insightful commentary from the group. Now it was their turn to play for us! The women became very serious, and you could immediately feel the intensity of their commitment to the orchestra. Knowing that many of them only started their string studies at the prison, it was quite a miraculous performance. And it certainly makes one ponder the whole question of the human spirit while imprisoned...
Thanks so much to the Anchorage Concert Association for helping to arrange our visit, and kudos to Gabrielle Willis, the music teacher who directs the prison orchestra.
October 2009
SLSQ has just finished recording John Adams's "String Quartet" at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada for Nonesuch Records. The piece, which was written expressly for SLSQ, was
co-commissioned by The Juilliard School, Stanford Lively Arts, and the Banff Centre. There are no details yet regarding the release of the recording, so stay tuned for details.
This October, SLSQ embarks on a 10-city tour of New Zealand, which will include stops in New Plymouth, Hamilton, Hawkes Bay, Wellington, Auckland, Manawatu, Southland, Christchurch, Nelson, and Dunedin. The programs in each city will feature John Adams's "String Quartet," composed for SLSQ and premiered by the quartet last January, in addition to works by Haydn, Dvorak, and Mendelssohn.
The St. Lawrence String Quartet’s latest recording (Haydn and Dvorak) is also a first – the first classical project to be issued via the innovative ArtistShare company.
The project was profiled in a five-page cover story in the August, 2009 issue of The Strad, highlighting the SLSQ’s 20 year history and reputation for seeking out new ways to connect music with audiences.
The article can be accessed in full here.
And if all of this excitement were not enough, the long-awaited new work which mega-star composer Osvaldo Golijov has been discussing has just been placed on the fast track, and will receive its world premiere on October 24, 2010 at Stanford University Lively Arts (the lead commissioner, with Carnegie Hall also contributing).
Ozzie and SLSQ have been close friends for nearly 20 years; in fact, his first major composition, “Yiddishbbuk”, was written for SLSQ and premiered by them at Tanglewood in 1992.
We are thrilled to be able to offer this new work to all presenters (except those in New York City) beginning October 25, 2010. SLSQ will be the exclusive performers through the end of 2012.
Press Highlights
“These are fearless musicians whose spontaneity stretches past conventional interpretation and probes the music's imaginative limits.”
— The Washington Post
“A sound that has just about everything one wants from a quartet, most notably precision, warmth and an electricity that conveys the excitement of playing whatever is on their stands at the moment.”
— The New York Times“A freshness and élan rich in the very lightness of being…the St. Lawrence Quartet made a convincing case for being the top quartet of the post-Emerson generation.”
— MusicalAmerica.com
(Wes Blomster)
“Faultless, instantly compelling performances”
— BBC Music Magazine [Awarded 5 stars]