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Isidore String Quartet

Isidore String Quartet
VIDEO
Isidore String Quartet
PRESS ACCLAIM

“Perfect tonality, precision, and [an] unshakable concentration....the performance earned the quartet a well-deserved standing ovation and no doubt an open invitation to come back.."

—Arizona Daily Star/Tucson.com

“A striking New York debut”

The Strad

REPERTOIRE

2024-25 PROGRAMS

MASTER LIST OF PIECES OFFERED

(* = Available beginning Feb 1, 2025)

Bartόk - String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1917)

Beethoven - String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127 (1825)

Billy Childs - String Quartet No. 3 “Unrequited” (2015)

Henri Dutilleux- Ainsi la nuit (1976)

* Dvořák - String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106 (1895)

* Haydn – Quartet in Bb-Major, Op. 76, No 4 (“Sunrise”)

Mendelssohn - String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 44 No. 3 (1838)

Mozart - String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance” (1785)

Ravel - String Quartet in F Major (1903)

Erwin Schulhoff - Five Pieces for String Quartet (1924)

Ruth Crawford Seeger - String Quartet (1931)

* Gabriella Smith - Carrot Revolution for string quartet (2015)

SPECIFIC SUGGESTED PROGRAMS

Program 1: “Unrequited”

**Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance” (1785)

Childs: String Quartet No. 3 “Unrequited” (2015)

-intermission-

Beethoven: String Quartet No. 12 in E-flat Major, Op. 127 (1825)

The intersection of treasured classics and contemporary perspectives in this program provides a narrative through-line that explores the complicated labyrinth that is human compassion and love. With Billy Childs’ String Quartet No. 3 “Unrequited” as a musical centerpiece, Mozart’s Dissonance quartet and Beethoven’s Op. 127 engage in a dialogue with the Childs, accentuating various aspects of the human experience: conflict, grief, compassion, obsession, romance, and acceptance. A commentary on Janacek’s Intimate Letters, “Unrequited” delves into the complexities of the five stages of grief when confronted with a love that is inevitably one-sided, yielding a work that is wildly expressive and heartbreakingly familiar. As artists of the 21st-century, we find fulfillment in exploring the relationship between the old and the new, and this program exemplifies the universality and longevity of humanity’s need to love and feel loved. --Devin Moore, Isidore String Quartet

Program 2:  Early 20th-century

Ravel: String Quartet in F Major (1903)

Seeger: String Quartet (1931)

-intermission-

Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet (1924)

Bartόk: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1917)

**After Feb 1, 2025 Haydn Op. 76/4 can be substituted instead of Mozart if desired.

Please advise us of your preferred program. 

 

Note:  other combinations are possible – please let us know your request and we will submit to Isidore Quartet for review.

Program 3:  

**Mozart: String Quartet No. 19 in C Major, K. 465 “Dissonance” (1785)

Dutilleux, Henri - Ainsi la nuit (1976)

-intermission-

Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 5 in E-flat Major, Op. 44 No. 3 (1

    (option:  Gabriella Smith Carrot Revolution can be substituted for Dutilleux after Feb 1, 2025)

Program 4:  Folk influenced  (available starting Feb 1, 2025)

Bartόk: String Quartet No. 2 in A minor (1917)

Seeger: String Quartet (1931) OR (presenter choice) Schulhoff: Five Pieces for String Quartet (1924)

-intermission-
Dvořák: String Quartet No. 13 in G Major, Op. 106 (1895)

June 2023

BIOGRAPHY

Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violins
Devin Moore, viola
Joshua McClendon, cello

Winners of a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant, and the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022, the New York City-based Isidore String Quartet was formed in 2019 with a vision to revisit, rediscover, and reinvigorate the repertory.  The quartet is heavily influenced by the Juilliard String Quartet and the idea of ‘approaching the established as if it were brand new, and the new as if it were firmly established.’

 

The members of the quartet are violinists Adrian Steele and Phoenix Avalon, violist Devin Moore, and cellist Joshua McClendon. The four began as an ensemble at the Juilliard School, and following a break during the global pandemic reconvened at the Kneisel Hall Chamber Music Festival in the summer of 2021 under the tutelage of Joel Krosnick.  In addition to Mr. Krosnick, the ISQ has coached with Joseph Lin, Astrid Schween, Laurie Smukler, Joseph Kalichstein, Roger Tapping, Misha Amory, Timothy Eddy, Donald Weilerstein, Atar Arad, Robert McDonald, Christoph Richter, Miriam Fried, and Paul Biss.

 

Their Banff triumph brings extensive tours of North America and Europe, a two-year appointment as the Peak Fellowship Ensemble-in-Residence at Southern Methodist University in Dallas beginning in 2023-24, plus a two-week residency at Banff Centre including a professionally produced recording, along with extensive ongoing coaching, career guidance, and mentorship.

 

The Isidore Quartet has appeared on major series in Chicago, Pittsburgh, Seattle, Durham, Washington (JFK Center), San Antonio, Toronto, Montreal, and Ottawa, and has collaborated with a number of eminent performers including James Ehnes, Jeremy Denk, Shai Wosner, and Jon Nakamatsu.  Their 23/24 season will feature appearances in Berkeley (Cal Performances), Boston (Celebrity Series), Washington DC (Phillips Collection), New York (92nd St. Y), Chicago, Baltimore, Ann Arbor, Denver, Houston, Indianapolis, Tucson, Phoenix, Santa Fe, La Jolla, Aspen, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, and at Dartmouth College, and Spivey Hall in Georgia, among many others.  European highlights include Edinburgh, Lucerne, Brussels, Amsterdam, Hanover, Frankfurt, and Hamburg’s ElbPhilharmonie.
 

Outside the concert hall the quartet has worked with PROJECT: MUSIC HEALS US providing encouragement, education, and healing to marginalized communities - including elderly, disabled, rehabilitating incarcerated and homeless populations - who otherwise have limited access to high-quality live music performance.  They have also been resident ensemble for the Contemporary Alexander School/Alexander Alliance International.  In conjunction with those well-versed in the world of Alexander Technique, as well as other performers, the ISQ explores the vast landscape of body awareness, mental preparation, and performance practice.


The name Isidore recognizes the ensemble’s musical connection to the Juilliard Quartet:  one of that group’s early members was legendary violinist Isidore Cohen.  Additionally, it acknowledges a shared affection for a certain libation - legend has it a Greek monk named Isidore concocted the first genuine vodka recipe for the Grand Duchy of Moscow!

September, 2023.  Please discard any previously or undated versions.

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