Join the internationally acclaimed American String Quartet, with harpist Nancy Allen, on Feb. 12 for an afternoon of chamber music masterpieces. The program, presented by Newburgh Chamber Music, begins at 3 pm at St. George’s Church, 105 Grand St., in Newburgh.
The concert will feature a combination of romantic classics and instruments that form a perfect preview for Valentine’s Day.
The string quartet will perform Beethoven’s Opus 18, no. 2 and Ravel’s “Quartet in F.” Allen, principal harpist with the New York Philharmonic, will join the quartet to perform Claude Debussy’s “Sacred and Profane Dances.” Works by Mozart and Tournier will round out the varied program.
Tickets are $30 for adults, and $5 for students, at the door (cash or check only) or online at newburghchambermusic.org. Proof of vaccination is not required, and masks are optional.
The audience is invited to meet the performers at a cider and champagne reception after the concert.
The quartet, which will be making its 12th appearance with Newburgh Chamber Music, was founded in 1974 by students at the Juilliard School. The ensemble has performed in all 50 states and around the world. Its recordings of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Mozart, and other composers have won widespread acclaim.
Violinist Peter Winograd joined the American String Quartet in 1990. He gave his first solo public performance at the age of 11 and was a top prize winner in the 1988 Naumburg International Violin Competition. He holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Juilliard.
A founding member of the American String Quartet, violinist Laurie Carney holds the distinction of performing quartets longer than any other woman in this elite field. The quartet began concertizing while she was still an undergraduate at Juilliard. A champion of new music, she gave the premiere of Gianpaolo Bracali’s Fantasia for violin and piano.
The Strad magazine hailed violist Daniel Avshalomov as “one of the finest occupants of that chair, both instrumentally and musically, of any quartet now active.” Avshalomov was a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble and was a frequent guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet.
Cellist Wolfram Koessel has performed as a musician, recitalist and soloist throughout the world. The Strad magazine praised his “exceptionally attractive cello playing.” As a soloist, he has performed concertos throughout the United States as well as with Japan’s Osaka Symphony Orchestra and orchestras in Germany and South America.
Nancy Allen joined the New York Philharmonic in June of 1999 as Principal Harp. She maintains a busy international concert schedule as well as heading the harp departments of The Juilliard School and the Aspen Music Festival and School, and teaching at Stony Brook University.
Audience members are invited to bring instruments that they wish to donate to Valentina’s Instrument Donation Bank, to be repaired, if necessary, and given to area schools and music students. For further information regarding this program, or to donate at another time, contact Dr. Joël Evans at evansj@newpaltz.edu or check the website: newburghchambermusic.org.