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Beethoven String Quartet in C minor, Op. 18 No. 4, Roumain String Quartet #5, Onslow String Quintet in D major, Op.68 and Montgomery Voodoo Dolls
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827) was one of the greatest and most radical composers of all time. He was a tormented genius who went deaf in later life and never heard his final works. His 9 symphonies and 16 string quartets are possibly his greatest achievement, each one an unrivaled masterpiece, but he also wrote 5 piano concertos, piano sonatas and one opera, Fidelio. Beethoven composed his first six string quartets (Op. 18) between 1798 and 1800. They were published in 1801. The Opus 18 String Quartets are thought to demonstrate his total mastery of the classical string quartet as developed by Haydn and Mozart.
Daniel Bernard Roumain (born 1970) is a classically trained composer, performer, violinist, and band-leader noted for blending funk, rock, hip-hop and classical music into an energetic and experiential sonic form. DBR is of Haitian-American heritage and he attended Dillard Center for the Arts in Fort Lauderdale. He combines his classical music roots with a multicolored spectrum of contemporary black popular music. DBR's exploration of musical rhythms and pulsing sounds is frequently peppered by cultural references. His dramatic pieces range from orchestral scores and energetic chamber works to rock songs and electronica. Each of the five string quartets is a musical portrait of an iconic figure from the Civil Rights Era. Collectively, they are CIVIL RIGHTS PORTRAITS. We will be performing the fifth, inspired by Rosa Parks.
George Onslow (1784-1853) was a French composer of English descent. His wealth, position and personal tastes allowed him to pursue a path unfamiliar to most of his French contemporaries, more similar to that of his contemporary German romantic composers; his music also had a strong following in Germany and in England. Onslow was a prolific composer of chamber music (including 36 string quartets and 34 string quintets).
Jessie Montgomery is a violinist, composer and music educator from New York City. Jessie began her violin studies, at the Third Street Music School Settlement, one of the oldest community organizations in the country. Upon graduating with her Bachelor’s degree from the Juilliard School in Violin Performance in 2003, she joined forces with Community MusicWorks in Providence, Rhode Island, a nationally recognized leader in community development and music education. Since 1999, Jessie has been affiliated with The Sphinx Organization, which supports the accomplishments of young African-American and Latino string players. As a member of the Sphinx network she has played numerous roles within the organization, as a teacher, juror, orchestra member and concertmaster, panelist and ambassador, as well as being a two-time laureate in their annual competition. Jessie was also Composer-in-Residence with the Sphinx Virtuosi, a conductor-less string orchestra which toured her music for 3 seasons.