Momenta Quartet’s Exciting Music at Chapel Restoration
Sunday, October 24, 2010
4 p.m.
Momenta Quartet, each of whose members has been wonderfully reviewed in the New York Times, will perform an exciting program at Chapel Restoration on Sunday, October 24, at 4. Violinists Emilie-Anne Gendron and Asmira Woodward-Page, violist Sephanie Griffin, and cellist Michael Haas will play the world premiere of Traveler's Song by Japanese-American Kento Watanabe, The Flag Project, composed by Chinese-American Huang Ruo, String Quartet #1, by Bolivian Agustin Fernandez, and a string quartet by Dvorak.
Momenta presents works of dynamic current composers alongside great music of the past in order to enhance the joy of musical discovery. Much of their repertoire is new music, and in the past five years they have given more than forty world premieres. They are also adventurous in selecting from the past, delving into pieces by Renaissance and early Baroque composers who are not necessarily part of the standard quartet repertoire. This eclectic programming distinguishes them from many other groups.
“Brilliant soloist," The New York Times says of violinist Emilie-Anne Gendron, who has performed internationally and in New York’s Avery Fisher and Zankel halls, and Washington’s Kennedy Center. She won both 2nd Prize and Audience Prize at Sion-Valais International Violin Competition, 2009, and is a past winner of the Stulberg String Competition. She has an Artist Diploma and Master of Music degree from The Juilliard School and a B.A. in classics from Columbia in its joint-degree program with Juilliard.
“Virtuoso flair,” says the Times of Canadian violist Stephanie Griffin, who performs regularly as soloist and with a wide range of ensembles, including avant-jazz band, Floriculture, SONYC (String Orchestra of New York City), and as principal violist with the Princeton Symphony, among others. She has a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from Juilliard and has recorded for Aeon, Arte Nova and Harmolodic, to name only a few.
"Refined and attractive," says the Times of the playing of young cellist Michael Haas, who has recently performed in New York’s Alice Tully Hall, at the Kennedy Center, and as a guest with the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society. He has also recently appeared at Yellow Barn, Tanglewood and Taos music festivals, and holds degrees from Curtis Institute of Music and Juilliard.
“Transforming intensity and beauty of tone,” is how the Times describes Australian violinist Asmira Woodward-Page, soloist and chamber musician, who has performed recently in recital at Carnegie Hall’s Weill Hall. With orchestras in Australia and North America, she has collaborated with conductors Andre Previn and Kurt Masur, among others, and in 2003 she won the Concert Artists Guild Competition.
