This partnership is the only one of its kind in a high school environment for gifted musicians.
Walnut Hill School for the Arts has announced the GRAMMY Award-winning Parker Quartet as its Quartet-in-Residence for the 2023-24 school year. The partnership is unique among professional mentorship relationships as it is the only one of its kind in a high school environment for gifted musicians.
“Inviting a world-renowned ensemble like the Parker Quartet to Walnut Hill is absolutely a thrill,” says Walnut Hill Head of School Eric Barber. “This is a testament to the exceptional artistry of our music students as we celebrate 50 years this year as a global leader in the arts.”
Founded and currently based in Boston, the Parker Quartet comprises Daniel Chong and Ken Hamao (violins), Jessica Bodner (viola), and Walnut Hill alumnus Kee-Hyun Kim '01 (cello). The Quartet's numerous honors include winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition, the 2005 Bordeaux Competition, and Chamber Music America's prestigious Cleveland Quartet Award. The members of the Parker Quartet also serve as Professors of the Practice and Blodgett Artists-in-Residence at Harvard University's Department of Music. The group spends its summers on the faculty of the Banff Centre's Evolution: Quartet program.
“I am so excited to be returning to Walnut Hill with my quartet for this important chamber music residency at my alma mater,” says Kee-Hyun Kim. “We look forward to engaging with these talented and precocious minds, working with the amazing faculty, and being immersed in this truly unique and uplifting environment.”
Celebrated cellist and New England Conservatory faculty member Paul Katz notes, “The Parker Quartet is certainly one of the finest string quartets the world has produced in the past twenty years. Additionally, they are gifted, dedicated teachers and exemplary human beings. To study with them at a young age is an extraordinary opportunity.”
Selected activities the Parker Quartet will engage in throughout the 2023-24 school year:
Visit www.walnuthillarts.org/arts-high-school/music/the-parker-quartet for more information.
Learn more about the Parker Quartet at www.parkerquartet.com.
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