DATE: April 29 2007, 3 PM

SITE: The Progress Energy Center for the Performing Arts   Map 

PROGRAM

• Smetana: Quartet No. 1
• Janacek: Quartet No. 2
• Schumann: Piano Quintet

The Pacifica Quartet celebrated its 10th anniversary in the 2004-2005 season with its first tour of Japan, its first appearance at Wigmore Hall in London, a performance of all five Elliott Carter quartets for San Francisco Performances, a concert at Lincoln Center's Alice Tully Hall, the release of the complete Mendelssohn string quartets on the Cedille label, and more than 60 concerts across the country. The current season includes a European tour, a three-concert series in Chicago, two concerts at Lincoln Center in New York, two in Washington DC, and concerts across the country from Boston to New Orleans to Tucson. Collaborations include the Emerson String Quartet, the Miro Quartet, the Avalon Quartet, and pianists Wu Han and Ursula Oppens.

Rising to prominence soon after its creation in 1994, the Pacifica swept top prizes in three of chamber music's most important international competitions for young ensembles, the 1996 Coleman Chamber Music Competition, the 1997 Concert Artists Guild Competition, and the 1998 Naumburg Chamber Music Competition. In 2002, the Quartet was further honored with Chamber Music America's prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award, giving them concerts in eight of America's most important venues, and was appointed a member of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center's CMS Two program for gifted young musicians. For two years beginning in the fall of 2003, this position involved the Quartet in the full range of activities of the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, from performances in Alice Tully Hall to community partnerships and leading roles in the Chamber Music Society's educational activities.

Released in early 2005 by Cedille Records, the Pacifica's recordings of the Complete String Quartets of Felix Mendelssohn have won extravagant praise from the critics: "The Pacifica Quartet goes right to the top of the list," says Dan Davis of Classics Today. Earlier Cedille recordings include Dvorak chamber works (including the Viola Quintet with Michael Tree), and the complete quartets of Easley Blackwood. The Quartet has been featured on many of the nation's most prominent radio broadcasts, including Chicago's WFMT, National Public Radio's Performance Today, and Minnesota Public Radio's St. Paul Sunday.

The Pacifica is an ardent advocate of contemporary music, commissioning and performing as many as eight new works a year. A champion of the string quartets of Elliott Carter, the ensemble has distinguished itself with performanaces of the complete five-quartet cycle in New York, San Francisco, Chicago, and Cleveland, and abroad in Tokyo and the Edinburgh International Festival. The New York Times wrote glowingly of the "astounding performances" by the "brilliant Pacifica Quartet," and the Chicago Tribune praised the Quartet's "astonishing talent, energy and dedication." As resident string quartet for the Contemporary Chamber Players, one of the country's leading contemporary music organizations, the Quartet presents a series of concerts each year devoted exclusively to new music.

The Pacifica Quartet serves as Faculty Quartet in Residence at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, and is Quartet in Residence at the University of Chicago, where it is the first resident ensemble in the history of the institution. Reflecting its dedication to musicians and music lovers of the next generation, the Pacifica Quartet was instrumental in creating the Music Integration Project, an innovative program that provides musical performances and teacher training to inner-city elementary schools. In addition, the Quartet regularly teaches and performs at summer festivals, including Fontana Chamber Arts, Music in the Vineyards, Interlochen Arts Camp and the Madeline Island Music Festival, and is also frequently invited for visiting residencies at universities and schools nationwide.

The members of the Pacifica Quartet share a unique history of personal and musical friendship. First violinist Simin Ganatra, born and raised in southern California, initially played with cellist Brandon Vamos and violinist Sibbi Bernhardsson while they were all teenagers. Sibbi later brought his good friend Masumi Rostad to the group. Originating on the West Coast, where it played many of its earliest concerts together, the Quartet takes its name from the awe-inspiring Pacific Ocean. Throughout their journey as a string quartet, its members continually strive to be Distinct as the billows/yet one as the sea. (James Montgomery) For further information about the Pacifica Quartet, please visit www.pacificaquartet.com

Pianist Wu Han ranks among the most esteemed and influential classical musicians in the world today. She appears regularly in many prestigious venues across the United States, Europe, and the Far East as both soloist and chamber musician, and has toured extensively as duo pianist with cellist David Finckel. Wu Han's wide-ranging musical activities include the founding of ArtistLed, classical music's first musician-directed and Internet-based recording company. The Denver Post described ArtistLed as "a classical music breakthrough." Wu Han and David Finckel serve as Artistic Directors of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. They are also Artistic Directors of Music@Menlo, a chamber music festival in Silicon Valley that has garnered international acclaim since its inception in 2003. Prior to launching Music@Menlo, Wu Han and David Finckel served for three seasons as Artistic Directors of SummerFest La Jolla.

Artist Website: www.pacificaquartet.com