| Chamber music academy |
| King's Place inaugural |
| Celebration at Wigmore Hall |
| Tribute to Clifford Benson |
| Haydn Bicentenary |
| New Mozart CD |
| New Beethoven CD |
FOR VENEZUELA'S "EL SISTEMA"
The Chilingirian Quartet have recently been invited by Jose Antonio Abreu, father of Venezuela’s hugely successful “El Sistema” and the Simón Bolivar Youth Orchestra, to create a new Chamber Music Academy in Venezuela.
In this exciting new role, the Quartet will spearhead a project of nationwide master classes, performances, and teacher training programmes. In addition, the Quartet will perform a series of concerts in the city of Caracas and provinces throughout Venezuela, starting in January 2010.
In October 2008, the Chilingirian Quartet was among the first musicians to perform at London’s spectacular new concert venue, King’s Place. The Quartet participated in the hall’s opening week festivities, and joined oboist Nicholas Daniel for the world premiere of a specially commissioned oboe quartet by Thea Musgrave.
On October 20, 2008, the Quartet celebrated the 60th birthday of Michael Berkeley with Dame Felicity Lott, Julius Drake, and Thomas Carroll.
The group commemorated the life and music of the late pianist Clifford Benson at the Royal Academy of Music, joined by many distinguished colleagues, including William Bennett, Anthony Pay, and Michael Dussek.
From December 2008 to April 2009, the bicentenary celebration of Franz Joseph Haydn offers a wonderful opportunity to honour a composer who has been a staple of the Chilingirian Quartet’s repertoire.
Between December 2008 and April 2009, the Quartet will join in an exploration of over twenty of Haydn’s quartets at Wigmore Hall, King’s Place, and the Castle Hotel in Taunton, where an ambitious week of concerts will include all of this great master’s quartets shared by various ensembles. For details, visit The Castle Hotel.
Between April 7 and 14, 2009, the Chilingirian will also collaborate with the Hilliard Ensemble in a programme of music for Holy Week, containing juxtaposed movements of Haydn’s Seven last Words on the Cross with Gesualdo’s Paraskevi… This program will be performed at the following locations:
7 April, Valencia, Spain
8 April, Wigmore Hall, London, UK
9 April, Konzerthaus, Berlin, Germany
10 April, St. Barnabas Church, Oxford, UK
14 April, Casteliotissa Hall, Nicosia, Cyprus
The first of three volumes featuring Mozart’s complete viola quintets has recently been released on CRD. The second volume will soon be released. To purchase volume one, please visit CRD.
On a new DVD on the Orpheus and Bacchus label, the Chilingirian Quartet performs Beethoven’s complete opus 18 quartets, recorded live during concerts in France. The performances are complemented by insightful introductions by Levon Chilingirian. To purchase, please visit www.orpheusbacchus.com.
