Morrison Artists’ Series

College of Creative Arts

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACTS
Ariane Bicho, Publicist
College of Creative Arts
San Francisco State University
(415) 338-1442
(415) 338-0520 fax
abicho@sfsu.edu

Press Release published by the Office of Public Affairs

 

San Francisco, July 23, 2003 - A trio of internationally acclaimed string quartets performs for Bay Area audiences this fall thanks to the Morrison Artists’ Series. A San Francisco music tradition for more than 50 years, the Morrison Series sponsors free performances by world-class chamber musicians at the McKenna Theatre on the San Francisco State University campus.

Heading the fall program, the Alexander String Quartet blends classical and 20th century masterworks on Sunday, September 7 at 3 p.m. Next, the Kopelman Quartet, a new ensemble of seasoned players, performs Sunday, October 12 at 3 p.m. And closing the fall season, on Sunday, November 2 at 3 p.m. the Gewandhaus Quartet of Leipzig, Germany, which is the world’s oldest continuous string quartet. Individual performances are as follows:

Alexander String Quartet
Sunday, September 7, at 3 p.m. in McKenna Theatre, the Alexander String Quartet returns to
the series for an enchanting afternoon featuring Mozart, Shostakovich, and Beethoven. Known for exacting musicianship and exceptional stylistic range, the ensemble, SFSU’s quartet-in-residence, earns regular acclaim for its superlative performances throughout the country. Equally at home with Beethoven and Bartok, the members have recorded more than a dozen CDs, and are known to let audiences choose an evening’s program.

Program:
Mozart/String Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K. 421; Shostakovich/String Quartet No. 11 in F minor, Op. 122 (1966); Beethoven/String Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2.

Kopelman Quartet
Following a summer tour in Europe, the Kopelman Quartet performs at the McKenna Theatre, Sunday, October 12 at 3 p.m. Headed by legendary violinist Mikhail Kopelman, formerly of the celebrated Borodin Quartet, the ensemble brings together the prodigy and passion of four masters steeped in the Russian tradition of vibrant, commanding quartets. All four players attended the prestigious Moscow Conservatory, where their teachers included the eminent composer Dmitri Shostakovich and cellist Mstislav Rostropovich, and enjoyed long tenures in European quartets and trios before forming the Kopelman Quartet in 2002.

Program:
To be announced.

Gewandhaus Quartet
On Sunday, November 2 at 3 p.m. in McKenna Theatre the Gewandhaus Quartet presents inspiring selections from Mozart, Schubert and Brahms. Now in its 194th year, this storied group from Leipzig, Germany, is the world’s oldest continuous string quartet. In its early days the quartet, whose members herald from Leipzig’s internationally esteemed Gewandhaus Orchestra, played with the likes of Johannes Brahms, Felix Mendelssohn and Edvard Grieg. More recently, with what German music magazine Klassik Heute lauds as “exemplary, standard-setting interpretation,” the current ensemble has brought its powerful, seasoned sounds to concerts with such performers as Yo-Yo Ma and Sabine Meyer.

Program:
Mozart/String Quartet in C Major, KV 465 (Dissonance); Schubert/String Quartet in C minor, D 703 (Quartettsatz); Brahms/String Quartet in C minor, Op. 51/1.

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Bringing Bay Area audiences the world’s finest chamber music since 1952, the Morrison Artists’ Series was created as part of the Morrison Chamber Music Center. The center exists in two parts: the artists’ series or concert program and the instructional program. The Morrison Artists’ Series concert program, under the command of Artistic Director Saul Gropman, presents six free Sunday afternoon performances each year by acclaimed chamber music ensembles in the 700-seat McKenna Theatre on the San Francisco State University campus. The instructional program of the Morrison Chamber Music Center features the Alexander String Quartet, SFSU’s quartet-in-residence, coaching chamber musicians from the university’s School of Music and Dance. In cooperation with San Francisco Performances, the Alexander String Quartet provides educational outreach to aspiring young musicians in local schools and community groups.

Admission and Parking
Admission to the Morrison Artists’ Series is always free. Nearby on-street parking is readily available on weekends. Public parking is also available in Lot 20 on the SFSU Campus, which can be accessed from Lake Merced Boulevard between Winston Drive and Font Boulevard. Parking in the lot is $1 per hour with a $5 daily maximum. For more information, see www.sfsu.edu/~parking.

The Morrison Artists’ Series is a program of the College of Creative Arts and its School of Music and Dance at San Francisco State University. For more information about the College of Creative Arts, please visit www.collegeofcreativearts.org. Applications are available by calling the SFSU Admissions Office at 415/338-1113.

1600 Holloway Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94132  415/338-1111
Last modified July 24, 2003, by the Office of Public Affairs