Calidore String Quartet Set for Pepperdine Recital Series at Raitt Recital Hall, 1/18

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts 2014-2015 Recital Series continues with a special performance by the international-prize-winning Calidore String Quartet in Raitt Recital Hall at Pepperdine University at 2 p.m. on Sunday, January 18.

Tickets, priced starting at $22 for the public and $10 for full-time Pepperdine students, are available now by calling (310) 506-4522 or online at http://arts.pepperdine.edu/. More information: http://calidorestringquartet.com/

The program will include Caroline Shaw's Entr'acte (minuet & trio); Ravel's Quartet in F Major; and Beethoven's Quartet in E minor, Op. 59, No. 2, "Rasumovsky."

Described as "a miracle of unified thought..." (La Presse, Montreal) and "nothing short of a revelation" (Calgary Herald), the Calidore String Quartet has established itself an international reputation for its informed, polished and captivating performances. The Calidore has already made debuts in such prestigious festivals as Verbier and Ravinia and the Schneider Concert Series in New York City, and is a featured "Young Artist-in-Residence" on American Public Media's "Performance Today."

Formed at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles in 2010, the Calidore String Quartet quickly won grand prize in virtually all American chamber music competitions, including the Fischoff, Coleman, Chesapeake, and Yellow Springs competitions. Internationally, they captured top prizes at the 2012 ARD Munich International String Quartet Competition and the 2012 Hamburg International Chamber Music Competition.

Summer 2014 marked the Calidore String Quartet's inaugural season as the quartet-in-residence at the Bellingham Festival of Music. Past summers included residencies and fellowships at the Banff Centre, Verbier Festival Academy, Aspen Music Festival and McGill International String Quartet Academy. In summer 2013, the Calidore worked closely with Edward Nesbit and premiered his "Night Dances" at the Verbier Festival. In 2012, the Calidore made its European debut at the esteemed Emilia Romagna Festival in Italy.

The Calidore has collaborated with many esteemed artists and ensembles, including Joshua Bell, Menahem Pressler, Quatuor Ebene, Angel Romero and the Calder String Quartet, among others. Currently the graduate string quartet in residence at the Colburn School, the Calidore has studied closely with such luminaries as Andre Roy, Arnold Steinhardt, Guillaume Sutre, Gunter Pichler, Gehard Schulz, Gabor Takacs Nagy, Paul Coletti, Ronald Leonard, and the Quatuor Ebène.

Ardent supporters of music education, the Calidore String Quartet is deeply committed to sharing their passion for chamber music with students and audiences. This has taken the form of pre-concert talks, post-concert Q&A's, classroom visits, public school assemblies, traditional master classes and multi-day community residencies. In May 2012, the Quartet partnered with the Bellingham Music Festival and the Whatcom Symphony Orchestra (Bellingham, WA) for a two-week residency of over 20 concerts in public schools of Northwest Washington.

The Recital Series at Pepperdine University has delighted audiences with new and emerging classical musicians since 1993. With intimate Sunday afternoon performances in Raitt Recital Hall, the series is nationally known for the high quality of its performances, the stunning location, the beautiful and acoustically superior venues, and the engagement and loyalty of its audience. Many of the featured artists have gone on to significant critical and professional acclaim, including cellist Johannes Moser, pianist Haochen Zhang, soprano Jessica Rivera, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

The final performance of the 2014-2015 Pepperdine Rectial Series will be cellist Christine Lamprea on February 22, 2015.

The Lisa Smith Wengler Center for the Arts at Pepperdine University provides high-quality activities for over 50,000 people f­­rom 664 zip codes annually through performances, rehearsals, museum exhibitions, and master classes. Located on Pepperdine's breathtaking Malibu campus overlooking the Pacific, the center serves as a hub for the arts, uniquely linking professional guest artists with Pepperdine students as well as patrons from surrounding Southern California communities. Facilities include the 450-seat Smothers Theatre, the 118-seat Raitt Recital Hall, the "black box" Helen E. Lindhurst Theatre, and the Frederick R. Weisman Museum of Art.