Sarasota Concert Association presents
The Miró String Quartet
February 15 7:30 P.M. Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall
Known for its dynamic performances, technical finesse, and eclectic programming, this critically acclaimed quartet performs works by Haydn, Ginastera and Beethoven.
The ensembles treatment of Schubert was like a ride along a winding road in a finely tuned Porsche. The Austin Chronicle Review
(Sarasota, Florida) The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) continues its 71st “Great Performers Series” season with the Miró String Quartet, Monday, February 15, 7:30 p.m., at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Hall, 777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. Known for its thoughtful and eclectic programming, this award-winning quartet will perform Haydns Quartet in D Major, Op. 20, No. 4. Argentinian composer Alberto Ginasteras Quartet No. 2 and Beethovens Razumovsky Quartet in C Major, Op. 59, No. 3. Tickets for the concert are $30, $40, $50 and $65. Tickets and information for the Great Performers Series are available by calling 941-225-6500 or online at www.scasarasota.org.
Formed in 1995, the Miró Quartet is consistently praised for its deeply moving interpretations, exciting performances, and varied programming. The group (comprised of violinists Daniel Ching and William Fedkenheuer, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele) took its name from the Spanish artist, Joan Miró, whose surrealist works, with its subject matter drawn from the realm of memory and imaginative fantasy, inspired the first members of the budding ensemble.
After winning first prizes at several prestigious competitions, including the Banff International String Quartet Competition and the Naumburg Chamber Music Competition, in 2005 the Miró Quartet became the first ensemble ever to be awarded the coveted Avery Fisher Career Grant. Concert highlights of recent seasons include a highly anticipated return to Carnegie Hall to perform the complete set of Beethovens Razumovsky (Opus 59) Quartets and collaborations with award-winning actor Stephen Dillane as part of Lincoln Centers White Lights Festival. In 2014, the Miró Quartet was commissioned by noted musical instrument collector David Fulton to immortalize Schuberts demanding and iconic String Quartet No. 15 in G Major. Working with a team of Emmy and Grammy-award-winning directors and producers, the quartet spent four days recording Schuberts masterwork on Stradivarius and Guarneri instruments loaned to them by Fulton. The resulting documentary, Transcendence, was nominated for two 2015 Northwest Regional Emmy awards and won for the Director Live or Recorded Live category. For more information about the Miró Quartet, visit www.miroquartet.com.
SCAs 2016 Great Performers Series season continues with the groundbreaking Russian National Orchestra (RNO) under the baton of guest conductor Kirill Karabits, with violin soloist Stefan Jackiw, March 8, 7:30 p.m. The 2016 season concludes on March 14, at 7:30 p.m., with the return to Sarasota of the dynamic Russian pianist Olga Kern. Recognized as one of her generation’s great pianists, Kern is renowned for her vivid stage presence, passionately confident musicianship and extraordinary technique.
SCA also presents Munchtime Musicales, a series of free lunchtime concerts featuring performances by high-caliber, area-based artists, November 2015 through April 2016. The series is designed to offer a wide variety of musical genres, including classical, folk, and jazz, featuring both vocal and instrumental performers. The 2015-2016 Munchtime Musicales concert series continues with a piano performance by the celebrated sister team of Cynthia Lawing and Gloria Cook (February 17, 2016); Studio Artists from the Sarasota Opera, Sarasota’s ambassadors of opera who bring opera to stages beyond the walls of the Opera House (March 16, 2106); and Belle Canto, Sarasotas womens choral ensemble (April 13, 2016). All Munchtime Musicales performances are at noon at the Beatrice Friedman Symphony Center, 709 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota. The series is free and open to the public. Seating is open; no reservations taken. For more information about Munchtime Musicales, call 941-351-7467 or visit www.scasarasota.org.
About the Sarasota Concert Association
The Sarasota Concert Association (SCA) exists to foster the development of an appreciation for the musical arts by sponsoring professional presentations that are not otherwise available in the community, through a not-for-profit, organized-audience plan. SCA aims to set reasonable fees for all performances. The organization is not designed to make a profit but does intend to be self-supporting. It provides outreach to all members of the regional community by offering a series of free concerts, Munchtime Musicales, held every year. For more information about SCA, visit www.scasarasota.org.
