The Corigliano Quartet is a

classical music Classical music generally refers to the art music of the Western world, considered to be #Relationship to other music traditions, distinct from Western folk music or popular music traditions. It is sometimes distinguished as Western classical mu ...

string quartet The term string quartet refers to either a type of musical composition or a group of four people who play them. Many composers from the mid-18th century onwards wrote string quartets. The associated musical ensemble consists of two Violin, violini ...

founded in 1996 with the blessing of the Pulitzer-,

Grammy The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious a ...

-, and

Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People and fictional and mythical characters * Oscar (given name), including lists of people and fictional characters named Oscar, Óscar or Oskar * Oscar (footballer, born 1954), Brazilian footballer ...

-winning John Corigliano. "They are truly one of the great quartets of the new generation," said the composer. "Their fiery intensity, musical sensitivity, and bold programming make for an absolutely stunning concert experience." The group's dedication and passion for new works has made them one of the most sought after interpreters of contemporary music today. For their efforts in bringing new music to a wider audience, the quartet was recently presented with the

ASCAP The American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers (ASCAP) () is an American not-for-profit performance-rights organization (PRO) that collectively licenses the public performance rights of its members' musical works to venues, broadc ...

/CMA Award For Adventurous Programming.

History

The Corigliano Quartet's repertoire ranges from classical to contemporary works, including three works by their namesake John Corigliano: ''String Quartet No. 1'' "Farewell" (1995), ''Snapshot: Circa 1909'' (2003), and Corigliano's string quartet arrangement of his ''A Black November Turkey'' (1972). The Corigliano Quartet has also been dedicated to the performance of music by younger, rising composers such as Shafer Mahoney, Adam Silverman and Jefferson Friedman, as well as modern masters like

Wynton Marsalis Wynton Learson Marsalis (born October 18, 1961) is an American trumpeter, composer, and music instructor, who is currently the artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. He has been active in promoting classical and jazz music, often to young ...

, Ben Johnston,

Roberto Carnevale Roberto Carnevale (born 15 June 1966) is an Italian composer, pianist, conductor and academic teacher. Biography and career Born in Catania, he started studying piano at the age of seven. He took a degree in Arts at the University of Catania ...

and

Elliott Carter Elliott Cook Carter Jr. (December 11, 1908 – November 5, 2012) was an American modernist composer who was one of the most respected composers of the second half of the 20th century. He combined elements of European modernism and American " ...

. Composed of violinists Michael Jinsoo Lim and Elisa Barston, who alternate at first violin, violist Melia Watras, and cellist Amy Sue Barston, the Corigliano Quartet rapidly climbed the ranks of the chamber music world. One year after its formation, the group drew the attention of

Isaac Stern Isaac Stern (July 21, 1920 – September 22, 2001) was an American violinist. Born in Ukraine, Stern moved to the United States when he was 14 months old. Stern performed both nationally and internationally, notably touring the Soviet Union a ...

, who invited them to the Isaac Stern Chamber Music Workshop at

Carnegie Hall Carnegie Hall ( ) is a concert venue in Midtown Manhattan, New York City. It is at 881 Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh Avenue, occupying the east side of Seventh Avenue between 56th Street (Manhattan), 56th and 57th Street (Manhattan), 57t ...

. The next year, the Corigliano won the Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition and followed that up by winning both First Prize in the Senior Wind Division and Grand Prize at the 1999 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. The group has performed in many of the nation's leading music centers, including

, Weill Recital Hall,

Alice Tully Hall Alice Tully Hall is a concert hall at the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City. The hall is named for Alice Tully, a New York performer and Philanthropy, philanthropist whose donations assis ...

, Merkin Hall, the

Kennedy Center The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts, commonly known as the Kennedy Center, is the national cultural center of the United States, located on the eastern bank of the Potomac River in Washington, D.C. Opened on September 8, ...

Lincoln Center's "Great Performers" series, and the Corcoran Gallery. Recent performances have taken the Corigliano to Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Cincinnati, Detroit, Houston, Indianapolis, Los Angeles, New York, and Washington, DC. They have also made appearances in Italy, Mexico, and Korea, where they gave the Korean premiere of Corigliano's ''Farewell Quartet''. They have been heard in numerous radio broadcasts, including NPR's

All Things Considered ''All Things Considered'' (''ATC'') is the flagship news program on the American network National Public Radio (NPR). It was the first news program on NPR, premiering on May 3, 1971. It is broadcast live on NPR affiliated stations in the United ...

, and WFMT-Chicago's Live From Studio One. The group's festival appearances include performances at the

Ravinia Festival Ravinia Festival is a primarily outdoor music venue in Highland Park, Illinois. It hosts a series of outdoor concerts and performances every summer from June to September in a wide variety of musical genres from classical to pop. The first orche ...

, the Aspen Music Festival, the Great Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Madeline Island Chamber Music Festival, Festival de Música de Cámara de San Miguel de Allende in Mexico, and Strings in the Mountains. The Corigliano Quartet has held residencies at the

Juilliard School The Juilliard School ( ) is a Private university, private performing arts music school, conservatory in New York City. Founded by Frank Damrosch as the Institute of Musical Art in 1905, the school later added dance and drama programs and became ...

, where they served as the teaching assistants to the

Juilliard String Quartet The Juilliard String Quartet (JSQ) is a classical music string quartet founded in 1946 at the Juilliard School in New York by William Schuman and Robert Mann. Since its inception, it has been the quartet-in-residence at the Juilliard School. ...

;

Indiana University Indiana University (IU) is a state university system, system of Public university, public universities in the U.S. state of Indiana. The system has two core campuses, five regional campuses, and two regional centers under the administration o ...

, where they served on the faculty as visiting lecturers;

Dickinson College Dickinson College is a Private college, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded in 1773 as Carlisle Grammar School, Dickinson was chartered on September 9, 1783, ...

, and the New York Youth Orchestra Chamber Music Program. Under the mentorship of Atar Arad, the group formed while its members were students at Indiana. The Corigliano has recorded for Naxos, CRI, Albany, Aguava New Music and Bayer Records.

Members

* Elisa Barston - violin * Amy Sue Barston - cello * Michael Jinsoo Lim - violin * Melia Watras - viola

Discography

* 2007 Music by John Corigliano and Jefferson Friedman.

Naxos Records Naxos comprises numerous companies, divisions, imprints, and labels specializing in classical music but also audiobooks and other genres. The premier label is Naxos Records, which focuses on classical music. Naxos Musical Group encompasses about ...

:John Corigliano: String Quartet (''Farewell''); ''Black November Turkey''; ''Snapshot: Circa 1909''; Jefferson Friedman: ''String Quartet No. 2'' * 2004 ''Movement for string quartet'' on '' Beata Moon: earthshine''. BiBimBop Records * 2004 ''the promise of the far horizon'' on ''Jeffrey Mumford: the promise of the far horizon''. Albany Records * 2002 ''String Quartet'' on ''Atar Arad: Sonata for Viola Solo and String Quartet''. RIAX Records * 2001 ''Legacy: Two Movements for String Quartet'' on '' Andrew Waggoner: Legacy''. CRI Records * 2000 ''Nightshade'' on ''Cary Boyce: Itineraries of the Night''. Aguava New Music * 2000 ''Dawnen Grey'' on ''The Music of Frederick Fox, Volume 2''. Indiana University School of Music * 1999 ''Quintet for Clarinet and Strings'' (with James Campbell, clarinet) on ''Bernard Heiden: Chamber Music''. Bayer Records

External links

* Corigliano Quarte
official site
* {{authority control Contemporary classical music ensembles Musical groups established in 1996 American string quartets