The Balourdet Quartet is a dynamic young ensemble known for their vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical precision with emotional depth. They bring a fresh perspective to both beloved classics and modern compositions, earning them the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. For their Austin appearance, they will perform music by Béla Bartók, Maurice Ravel, and Johannes Brahms, promising an evening of music both profound and transcendent. Presented in partnership with Texas Performing Arts.
Austin Chamber Music Center’s Friday Night Season Concerts are an up-close-and-personal setting for chamber music at the beautiful Draylen Mason Music Studio at KMFA. Friday night tickets include complimentary drinks and light bites served at a post-concert reception with the artists.
Saturday Night Season Concerts run in tandem with Fridays and take place at the First Unitarian Church; tickets include a post-concert reception that includes appetizers and drinks, as well as a Q&A session with the artists. Subject to availability, $12 Student Rush (with student ID), $33 General Admission, and $48 Premium tickets may be purchased at the box office starting at 6:30 PM on the evening of the Saturday night concert.
Program
String Quartet #3, Sz. 85 | Béla Bartók (1881–1945)
- Prima parte. Moderato
- Seconda parte. Allegro
- Recapitulazione della prima parte. Moderato
- Coda. Allegro molto
String Quartet in F Major | Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
- Allegro moderato – très doux
- Assez vif – très rythmé
- Très lent
- Vif et agité
INTERMISSION
String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67 | Johannes Brahms (1833–1897)
- Vivace
- Andante
- Agitato (Allegretto non troppo)
- Poco Allegretto con Variazioni
BALOURDET QUARTET
Angela Bae & Justin DeFilippis, violins | Benjamin Zannoni, viola | Russell Houston, cello
Run time: This concert is approximately 76 minutes, plus one short intermission.
Balourdet Quartet
The Balourdet Quartet stands out for their vibrant energy and masterful blend of technical precision and emotional depth that brings a fresh perspective to both beloved classics and modern compositions. Its unique closeness and willingness to take creative risks earned it the 2024 Avery Fisher Career Grant, as well as Chamber Music America’s 2024 Cleveland Quartet Award. With more than 70 concerts per season, recent highlights include the Balourdet’s debuts at Carnegie and Wigmore Halls, and new string quartets by composers Karim Al-Zand, Paul Novak, and Nicky Sohn through grants from Chamber Music America (2021) and the Barlow Foundation (2023). They were recently named the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s first-ever String Quartet in Residence for the 25/26 season. The Balourdet previously served as the Graduate Quartet in Residence at the prestigious Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University and were recent graduates of the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program.
In 2021, the Quartet won the Grand Prize at New York’s Concert Artists Guild Competition, which included joint management by Concert Artists Guild in the U.S., and Young Classical Artist’s Trust (YCAT) in the UK and Europe. In addition, the Balourdet has been prizewinners in Canada’s Banff International String Quartet Competition, the International Premio Paolo Borciani Competition in Italy, Gold Medal winners at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, and Gold Medal and Audience Prizewinners at the Yellow Springs Competition.