Drew Among Final Stops on Guarneri’s Last Tour
MADISON, NJ—Drew University is honored to present the renowned Guarneri String Quartet in what will be one of its final performances. The group, which will retire at the end of the current season, has been one of classical music's leading ensembles for the last 45 years. The concert will take place on April 15 in the concert hall of the university's Dorothy Young Center for the Arts.
The quartet first came together in 1964 and have since toured the world several times, playing in the most prestigious halls in North and South America, Mexico, Europe, Asia and Australia. According to National Public Radio, the Guarneri Quartet “is among the most revered and enduring ensembles of its kind in the world.” Today, the group includes original members Arnold Steinhardt (1st violin), John Dalley (2nd violin), and Michael Tree (viola), and Peter Wiley (cello), who replaced original cellist David Soyer in 2001.
Both individually and as a group, the members of Guarneri have received many awards for musical excellence. The four performers received honorary doctorates from the University of South Florida in 1976 and the State University of New York in 1983. In 1992, Guarneri became the first quartet to receive the Award of Merit from the Association of Performing Arts Presenters in New York City. In 2004, the quartet was given Chamber Music America’s highest honor, the Richard J. Bogomolny National Service Award. In 2005, the University of Michigan’s University Musical Society presented Guarneri with its Ford Honors Award.
In 1989, the quartet was the subject of a full-length film titled “High Fidelity – The Guarneri String Quartet.” It has also been featured in several books, including “Quartet” by Helen Drees Ruttencutter, “The Art of Quartet Playing: The Guarneri in Conversation with David Blum,” and “Invisible by Four: A String Quartet in Pursuit of Harmony” by Guarneri violinist Arnold Steinhardt.
Works to be performed at the Drew concert include:
- Leos Janáček (1854-1928), String Quartet No. 1, “Kreutzer Sonata”
- Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791), String Quartet No. 15 in D Minor, K.421
- Antonín Dvorák (1841-1904), String Quartet No. 12 in F major, Op. 96 The American
The April 15 event, which is presented with generous support from the Frank and Lydia Bergen Foundation, will begin at 8:00 p.m. Tickets are $52. For more information or to purchase tickets, please call the Drew box office at 973/408-3917. Additional information can also be found by visiting the concert hall's page.
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Posted: March 11, 2009
