IVES QUARTET ANNOUNCES SPRING SERIES OF ITS 13th SEASON of PENINSULA CONCERTS
FOR RELEASE April 11, 2012
Contact Pam Lampkin, Executive Director
April 11, 2012
Phone: (650) 224.7849
Plivesquartet80@gmail.com
IVES QUARTET ANNOUNCES SPRING SERIES OF ITS 13th SEASON of PENINSULA CONCERTS
Palo Alto, April 11, 2012 – The Ives Quartet continues its tradition of presenting under-appreciated gems and commissioned new works alongside well-known and much loved works of the string quartet canon in it’s Spring 2012 Peninsula Series.
As part of a nationwide initiative to raise public awareness of the many styles of small ensemble music performed and presented today, IQ will join thousands of musicians and hundreds of concert presenters across the country this May in celebrating National Chamber Music Month. The month-long series of performances, residencies, pre- and post-concert discussions, and other chamber music events will showcase ensemble music of all styles, including early, classical, jazz, and world music. This is a great opportunity to introduce a new work, String Quartet No. 1 in Green, by Palo Alto native, Deborah Lurie, specially commissioned by the Ives Quartet.
Deborah Lurie is a widely acclaimed composer and arranger for films and other mass media. Named by the Hollywood Reporter in 2009 as one of the top emerging composers, she wrote the score for the film Dear John and orchestrated portions of the score for Tim Burton’s Alice in Wonderland (both 2010). Lurie was born with perfect pitch, which earned her the childhood nickname “human pitchpipe,” as well as with a rare condition called synesthesia, which allows her to identify every note by seeing a specific corresponding color in her mind’s eye. She became aware of these talents during a music theory class at Gunn High School in Palo Alto and has pursued music out of passion since that time. From her academic background and her experience writing music for mass media, Lurie has come to believe that all genres and types of music have their own individual value regardless of sociological status. She says that she approaches everything she does musically with an open mind and a sense of endless musical curiosity.
In this commissioning project, the composer’s approach meshes perfectly with the Ives Quartet’s rationale for inviting Lurie to create a composition
“The idea that music exists in segregated communities is anathema to us. So many times over the years, one or another of our quartet has said, ‘Wouldn’t it be great if that wonderful composer of musicals, popular music, or film scores had written a quartet?’ Of course, we all know that composers like Erich Wolfgang Korngold, Bernard Hermann, and even Aaron Copland wrote wonderfully for film while also composing for symphonic or chamber music audiences. But those days have gone. Rather, and especially in the realm of concert music, we have moved to a kind of specialization where only composers of a certain stripe write for the concert hall. We don’t see that as a positive development.” ~ IQ
Spring Program
Sunday, April 29, 3PM, First Congregational Church, Palo Alto;
tickets $15/$10
Sunday May 6, 7PM, Le Petit Trianon, San Jose;
tickets $25/$20/$15
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart String Quartet in D Major, K. 575
Deborah Lurie Commissioned New Work, String Quartet No. 1 in Green
Claude Debussy String Quartet in G Minor, Op. 10
About the Ives Quartet
Superb artistry, performance passion, a spirit of musical adventure, warmth of tone and interpretation and smart programming have been hallmarks of the Ives Quartet’s first decade of music making.
The Ives Quartet comprises Bettina Mussumeli and Susan Freier, Violins; Jodi Levitz, Viola; and Stephen Harrison, Cello. The Quartet’s musicians enjoy dual careers in the US and Europe, making Ives Quartet concerts an inviting combination of old-world sophistication and a uniquely pioneering American panache that audiences and critics find irresistible.
Purchase Tickets
Ives Quartet, P.O. Box 60464, Palo Alto, CA 94306
Phone: (650) 224-7849 Web: http://www.ivescollective.org/tickets.htm
- Seating is by general admission. Box Office opens one hour before concerts.
- Parking is convenient and free. All concert venues are wheelchair accessible
- Photos of the Ives Quartet and Deborah Lurie are available upon request.
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