Koerner Quartet to Welcome Young Prodigies for SUMMER SERENADE, June 7

Vancouver, BC -- The Koerner Quartet, along with special guest prodigies, close their 2014/15 season and welcome the change of season with Summer Serenade, taking place on Sunday, June 7 at 7pm in the Vancouver Academy of Music's (VAM) Koerner Recital Hall. The concert's dramatic program promises to captivate with works varying in tone from torrid and passionate, to warm and joyful, culminating with a gorgeous Tchaikovsky sextet featuring Vancouver Academy of Music 'Rising Stars' Esther Hwang (violin) and Trisha Doo (cello).

"At just 18 and 19 years of age respectively, Trisha and Esther are exceedingly accomplished pupils of VAM's Rising Star Mentorship Program; both already have appearances and scholarships at some of the world's top musical institutions under their belts," says Koerner Quartet cellist and VAM Executive Director, Joseph Elworthy. "My fellow quartet members and I are continually amazed by their burgeoning talent, maturity, and artistry. We're thrilled to work alongside them as fellow performers in a wonderful finale to our first public season!"

Violinist Esther Hwang and cellist Trisha Doo, fellow musicians and friends, are making their anticipated second appearance with the Koerner Quartet after an inaugural first concert with the ensemble in Hong Kong during the summer of 2014.

Korean-Canadian Esther Hwang began studying violin at age three, appearing for the first time as a soloist with an orchestra at the extraordinarily young age of nine. She regularly performs as a guest soloist with a variety of acclaimed orchestral organizations, including the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and was recently accepted to Juilliard's Bachelor of Music program. On May 15 and 16, 2015, she can be heard performing as a participant in Edmonton's Shean Strings Competition, alongside five other outstanding Canadian finalists.

Trisha Doo cites performing at New York City's Carnegie Hall at the age of 15 as a major career highlight. She has won numerous national and international first prize awards as both a cello soloist and a chamber musician, and has chosen to complete her Bachelor of Music degree at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music where she will study on full scholarship. Doo was also notably offered scholarships with the Eastman School of Music, and the Royal Conservatory at the Glenn Gould School.

Summer Serenade will open with a rare composition from Puccini. Known for a myriad of spectacular operatic works, the composer deftly transposes his lyrical style to string quartet with the dark and haunting Chrysanthemums. Next, Leoš Janá?ek, one of the 20th century's most unique musical figures, merges distinctive and alluring Moravian folk with highly stylized arthaus musik in Quartet No. 1 Kreutzer Sonata. The work vividly portrays the fury and disillusionment of French violinist Rudolph Kreutzer in Leo Tostoy's famous Novella of the same title. The evening concludes with Tchaikovsky's breezy, exhilarating musical guidebook, Souvenir de Florence, written in part during the Russian composer's summer of 1890 visit to Florence.

About Koerner Quartet (koernerquartet.com) - Comprising four of Canada's most esteemed musicians - Nicholas Wright (violin), Jason Ho (violin), Emilie Grimes (viola), and Joseph Elworthy (cello) - the Koerner Quartet is known internationally for its nuanced interpretive style. Founded in 2012, the Koerner Quartet is ensemble-in-residence at the Vancouver Academy of Music, where its members balance performing with their dedication to sharing the joy of chamber music with aspiring musicians. The Koerner Quartet directs annual chamber music seminars in Vancouver and Hong Kong, in addition to numerous educational outreach initiatives in conjunction with performances throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. Frequently heard on live broadcasts for CBC, BBC, Radio Europe, Hong Kong Radio 4, and NHK, the Koerner Quartet has received critical acclaim for its 2013 album of string quartets by Ravel and Bartok. The Quartet is named in honor of one of the founders of the Vancouver Academy of Music, Ms. Iby Koerner.

DETAILS:

Koerner Quartet presents Summer Serenade
Date: Sunday, June 7, 2015 at 7pm
Address: Koerner Recital Hall at Vancouver Academy of Music, 1270 Chestnut Street, Vancouver, BC V6J 4R9
Guest Artists: VAM Rising Stars Esther Hwang (violin) and Trisha Doo (cello)
Ticket Prices: $18/$15 (students and seniors)
Box Office: koernerquartet.com

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