Ying Quartet To Perform In Cooperstown

The Cooperstown Summer Music Festival will conclude its twentieth anniversary season on Sunday, November 4 at 4pm at the Otesaga Resort Hotel with a performance by the celebrated and exuberant Ying Quartet.

This 2018 finale, featuring masterworks by Haydn, Theofanides and Tchaikovsky is the last opportunity of the season to experience world-class music-making in an up close and personal setting overlooking beautiful Otsego Lake.

Ensemble-in-residence at the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY, the Ying Quartet occupies a position of unique prominence in the classical music world, combining brilliantly communicative performances with a fearlessly imaginative view of chamber music in today's world. The Los Angeles Times described the quartet as coming "as close to the ideal as possible, delivering chamber music of astonishing, refreshing exaltation and exhilaration."

Although this will be the Ying's first appearance at the Cooperstown Summer Music Festival, violist Phillip Ying was a frequent participant during its first several years. "It is terrific to see how the Festival has thrived and contributed to the community in so many ways," says Mr. Ying. "I have always been impressed by the consistently world-class artistic quality that Artistic Director Linda Chesis presents, the warm and enthusiastic audiences, and the beautiful surroundings."

The Yings will open their program with one of Joseph Haydn's Opus 20 quartets alongside a work called Conference of the Birds. Written specifically for the Quartet by Grammy-nominated composer Christopher Theofanidis, this evocative piece is based on a 12th century Sufi allegorical poem inspired by the movement of birds. The centerpiece of the program is Peter Illych Tchaikovsky's dynamic and powerful first quartet. "It often feels that Tchaikovsky is asking the four players of a string quartet to sound like a full orchestra! Especially memorable is the famous slow movement, which has one of the moved beloved melodies in the entire classical literature."

If this piques your curiosity, don't be shy; Chesis emphasizes that all are invited to experience the intimate atmosphere of a live chamber music performance, "which, in some ways, is analogous to a spectator sport. You don't need to know the rules of the game to enjoy it!"

For more information, please visit their website: www.ying4.com.

Tickets are $25 for adults, $15 for students. Purchase online at www.cooperstownmusicfest.org or https://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/3626599, by phone through Brown Paper Tickets, 800/838-3006, or at the door. There is no service charge for tickets purchased online or by phone.