Newburgh Chamber Music will present the American String Quartet, which is celebrating its 45th anniversary this year, in an afternoon of classical works March 10. The concert, the 10th performance by the group for the chamber series, will also feature guest artist Cynthia Phelps, principal violist of the New York Philharmonic.

The quartet will perform Bartók’s Third String Quartet, and with Phelps, Mozart’s Viola Quintet in D Major, K. 593, and Brahms’s Viola Quintet in G Major. Opus 11. The concert begins at 3 pm at St. George’s Church, 105 Grand Street, in Newburgh.

Tickets are available at the door or online at newburghchambermusic.org. Adults: $25. Students: $5. St. George’s is handicapped accessible with parking across the street. Audience members are invited to meet the artists at a post-concert reception.
Cynthia Phelps is the Mr. and Mrs. Frederick P. Rose Chair at the New York Philharmonic. She is a member of the Philharmonic’s String Quartet, and a founding member of the Les Amies, a flute-harp-viola ensemble. She is a first-prize winner of both the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition and the Washington International String Competition and a recipient of the Pro Musicis International Award.

The Amerian String Quartet consists of violinists Peter Winograd and Laurie Carney, violist Daniel Avshalomov, and cellist Wolfram Koessel. Formed when its original members were students at The Juilliard School, the internationally recognized ensemble is celebrating its 45th year. It has spent decades honing its signature sound, and its presentations of the complete quartets of Beethoven, Mozart, and other composers have won widespread acclaim. It has performed in all 50 states and around the world, on radio and television. Its extensive discography includes numerous labels.

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.

A founding member of the American String Quartet, Carney has performed quartets longer than any woman in the field. Apart from the Quartet, she has performed with such artists as Isaac Stern, Pinchas Zukerman, and Frederica von Stade.

Avshalomov performs in recitals and collaborations and as a featured performer and concerto soloist at festivals across the country. He was a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble and a frequent guest artist with the Guarneri Quartet.
Since his Carnegie Hall debut in 1994, Koessel has performed as a chamber musician, recitalist and soloist throughout the world.

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.

Visit newburghchambermusic.org.