DOWNTOWN EXPRESS Opens at The QUAD Cinema

Philippe Quint stars in Downtown Express, a new film from multiple Peabody and Emmy Award-winning director David Grubin, produced by Michael Hausman (Brokeback Mountain, Gangs of New York, Amadeus), and co-starring singer-songwriter Nellie McKay.

Quint’s role in Downtown Express marks the first time that a classical musician has been featured as the lead in an American film. To prepare for the role and further his understanding of the craft, Quint spent three years training intensely with legendary producer and acting instructor Sondra Lee.

Set in the world of Russian immigrants living in New York City, Downtown Express uses music to explore the clash of old world values against the lure and excitement of a new country.  Under the watch of his loving but overbearing father, virtuoso violinist and Juilliard student Sasha (Philippe Quint) prepares for a critical recital meant to launch his career.  Yet, he is increasingly drawn to the rhythms of the streets of New York, and when he meets singer-songwriter Ramona (Nellie McKay), he joins her band, falls in love, and begins to lead a double life, careening frantically between two worlds. As his classical debut nears, Sasha must decide whether to break with his father and forge his own destiny.

Philippe Quint has emerged in recent years as one of the few soloists to combine a remarkable degree of lyricism, poetry and impeccable virtuosity. He has gripped the eyes and ears of audiences around the world with what The Times (London) describes as his “bravura technique, and unflagging energy.” Philippe Quint studied at Moscow's Special Music School for the Gifted with the famed Russian violinist Andrei Korsakov, and made his orchestral debut at the age of nine, performing Wieniawski's Concerto No. 2. After emigrating to the United States, he earned both Bachelor's and Master's degrees from Juilliard. His distinguished pedagogues included Dorothy Delay, Cho-Liang Lin, Masao Kawasaki, and Felix Galimir. He also studied and participated in masterclasses with Isaac Stern, Itzhak Perlman, and Arnold Steinhardt.

"I came to find similarities between my musical training at Juilliard and the craft of theater," said Quint. "Actors and musicians must both stay in the moment. To be a conscious musician you must listen to your partners, whether you are playing with a symphony orchestra or chamber music ensemble."

On March 27, 2012, Avanticlassic will release violinist Philippe Quint’s recording of concertos by Mendelssohn and Bruch, and Beethoven’s Romances Nos. 1 and 2, with the Orquesta Sinfónica de Minería led by Carlos Miguel Prieto. This is the first recording Quint has made with the 1708 “Ruby” Antonio Stradivari violin, on loan to him through the generous efforts of The Stradivari Society®

On April 20, 2012, International Film Circuit will open Downtown Express at The Quad Cinema in NYC.