This week, our Chamber Connect installment features the Senior Division winners from the 2020 Coltman Competition. Join us Saturday at 8 PM on YouTube Premieres to hear fantastic musicianship from across the country, with music by Piazzolla, Ravel, and more. If you have a Google or YouTube account, you can join our live chat while watching the performance. If you do not have an account, you can still enjoy the video and view the comment feed.
Visit the YouTube Premieres page now to request a reminder for Saturday evening; otherwise, just mark your calendar for this Saturday, April 18 at 8 PM.
In order of appearance:
2nd Place: Plaza Winds
Kansas City, MO
Repertoire:
- Endre Szervánszky: Quintet for Winds; I. Adagio–Allegro moderato
- Astor Piazzolla: Libertango
Plaza Winds is the fellowship woodwind quintet at the Conservatory of Music and Dance at the University of Missouri-Kansas City (UMKC). This fellowship ensemble changes personnel yearly, as each member is on a scholarship until their degree is received. The name “Plaza Winds” comes from the Country Club Plaza area of Kansas City, located directly adjacent to UMKC’s campus. This ensemble gives back to the greater Kansas City area with several dozen performances a year, at local schools, libraries, and retirement communities. Members of the ensemble hold positions with regional symphonies such as Topeka, Kansas and St. Joseph, Missouri.
1st Place and Grand Prize TIE: Elless Quartet
Cleveland, OH
Repertoire:
- Maurice Ravel: String Quartet in F Major; I. Allegro moderato–très doux
- Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 31 in B Minor, Op. 33, No. 1; IV. Finale: Presto
The Elless Quartet was formed in 2019 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. Comprised of members Ju-Eun Lee (violin), Megan Lin (violin), Marcus Stevenson (viola) and Cecelia Swanson (cello), the ensemble works with Si-Yan Li, Todd Phillips and Philip Setzer, and have also performed in masterclasses for the Emerson, Orion, Dover and Miami Quartets. The members have also participated in various music festivals, including the Bowdoin International Music Festival, Heifetz International Music Institute, Sarasota Music Festival, and Saint Paul Chamber Music Institute. Hailing from different parts of the world, the quartet strives to bring diversity into the classical music world.
1st Place: Inan Quartet
Austin, TX
Repertoire:
- Guillermo Lago: Cuidades; Córdoba (España)
- John Anthony Lennon: Elysian Bridges
Comprised of members of the University of Texas at Austin saxophone studio, the Inan Quartet strives to create and share meaningful musical experiences with audiences from all walks of life. Its members have competed and performed across the country, doing so as early as high school. Under the tutelage of Dr. Stephen Page, the quartet seeks to push the boundaries of chamber and saxophone music alike.
1st Place and Grand Prize TIE: Favola Quartet
Austin, TX
Repertoire:
- Joseph Haydn: String Quartet No. 63 in B flat Major, Op. 76, No. 4; I. Allegro con spirito
- Felix Mendelssohn: String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor, Op. 80; I. Allegro vivace assai
The Favola Quartet is an emerging string quartet comprised of violinists Haeni Lee and Nick Hammel, violist Ruben Balboa, and cellist Chan Song An. They all met at the University of Texas while studying with Sandy Yamamoto, Roger Myers, and Bion Tsang. They are currently being coached by Sandy Yamamoto and John Largess.