Koerner Quartet to Present NOTHING BUT THE CLASSICS Concert, 11/2

The Koerner Quartet presents its second concert of the season with the brilliantly refined program - Nothing but the Classics - on Sunday, November 2, 2014 at 2pmin the Koerner Recital Hall at the Vancouver Academy of Music (VAM). The acclaimed ensemble in-residence at VAM recently launched its debut public concert season and now moves headlong into a program of classical and romantic works highlighting chamber music giants Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms - including a piece for string quintet that places particular emphasis on the viola during a timely transition for the group.

"The Koerner Quartet feels extremely fortunate to have been able to work with accomplished founding violist Marcus Takizawa for our first two complete seasons," said Joseph Elworthy, VAM Executive Director, and Koerner Quartet cellist. "We were all saddened by his departure this year, but delighted to welcome newcomer Emilie Grimes in his place. It is a treat to bring Marcus back for this concert to perform in the Brahms - it will be an exquisite 'passing of the torch' moment to have these two talented violists work alongside one another to execute this spectacular quintet."

Without a doubt the extended musical shadow cast from Haydn to Beethoven to Brahms was both a source of compositional inspiration and paralysis. For its second concert of the season, the ensemble explores the sublime creative lineage of these three titanic composers: Franz Joseph Haydn's lighthearted String Quartet No. 5 "Lark," followed by the effortless genius of Ludwig van Beethoven's early period, String Quartet Op. 18 No. 4, and concluding with Johannes Brahms' high-spirited String Quintet No. 2 in G Major.

Talented guest violist, Vancouver Academy of Music faculty member, and Koerner Quartet alumnus, Marcus Takizawa joins the ensemble to round out the instrumentation for the Brahms Quintet. Educated at the Juilliard School, Vancouver-based Takizawa enjoys a diverse career as an orchestral and chamber musician, soloist, composer, and instructor. He is currently a Turning Point Ensemble member and recently commenced his newest position as Assistant Principal Viola of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra.

The Koerner Quartet is comprised of revered Canadian musicians, all of whom are current or recent Vancouver Symphony Orchestra (VSO) colleagues - violinist Nicholas Wright (hired as the youngest member of the London Symphony Orchestra in 2003, current Assistant Concertmaster with VSO), violinist Jason Ho (Vancouver native and graduate of the prestigious Cleveland Institute of Music, current VSO Principal Second Violin), brand new ensemble member and violist Emilie Grimes (Master of Music degree recipient from the Juilliard School, current VSO viola section member), and cellist Joseph Elworthy (Fellow of the Royal Conservatory of Music, Juilliard and Yale educated, former member of VSO, and current Executive Director of VAM).

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