Amalthea Performs in Kronos Quartet’s Masterclass at Freer Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Amalthea Quartet from Shenandoah Conservatory performed at the highly publicized Kronos Quartet masterclass at the Freer Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, March 2. The members of the quartet had the opportunity to work with John Sherba, second violinist of the Kronos Quartet who was extremely pleased and impressed with Amalthea’s performance of Azerbaijani composer Franghiz Ali-Zadeh’s piece “Reqs” (Dance). The piece was written for and premiered by the Kronos Quartet. Sherba shared a number of stories of Kronos’ work with the fiery and intense composer with the Amalthea Quartet and audience.
Members of the Amalthea Quartet include Colleen Bennett ’19 (Bachelor of Music in Performance, Violin), Elizabeth Knaub ’19 (Bachelor of Music in Performance, Viola), Devin Jones ’19 (Bachelor of Music in Performance, Cello) and Mary Wynn Willson ’19 (Bachelor of Music in Performance, Violin).
“Reqs” will also be performed at the EDGE Ensemble’s spring concert at 8 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, at Bright Box Theater (15 N. Loudoun St., Winchester, Virginia).
This event was made possible by Washington Performing Arts (WPA) and the Smithsonian’s Freer Gallery of Art and the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery.
Kronos Quartet/Kronos Performing Arts Association (KPAA), the San Francisco-based non-profit organization of the Kronos Quartet, has launched Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire, a string quartet commissioning, performance, education, and legacy project of unprecedented scope and potential impact. The initiative partners with organizations throughout the United States like WPA to co-commission work by 50 composers—25 women and 25 men—from all over the world. Kronos is commissioning a library of 50 works, available for free download, designed to guide young amateur and early career professional string quartets in developing and honing the skills required for the performance of 21st-century repertoire. Visit kronosquartet.org/fifty-for-the-future to learn more.
Photo by Washington Performing Arts
