Harlem Quartet Showcases Music Of African American & Latino Composers In Two Eclectic Programs

The Chamber Music Society of Detroit is presenting the Harlem Quartet in two diverse concert programs ranging from classical to contemporary, Latino and jazz. On Friday, October 11 at 8:00 PM, the quartet performs music of African-American composers at Schaver Music Recital Hall, located at 480 W. Hancock in Detroit, on the campus of Wayne State University. Then on Saturday, October 12 at 8:00 PM, 14-time Grammy Award winning clarinetist and composer Paquito D'Rivera joins the quartet at Seligman Performing Arts Center, located at 22305 W. 13 Mile Road in Beverly Hills.

Tickets for the Friday night program are $30 for adults, $25 for seniors and $45 for reserved premium seating. Student rush tickets priced at only $5 are available beginning 15 minutes before the concert start time, subject to availability. Tickets for Saturday night are priced at $26 - $66 for adults, $13 - $33 for students and $21 - $61 for seniors. Tickets for all CMDetroit concerts may be purchased at 313-335-3300 or www.CMSDetroit.org. Both concerts are presented with support from the Flagstar Foundation.

The New York-based Harlem Quartet has been hailed in the Cincinnati Enquirer for "bringing a new attitude to classical music, one that is fresh, bracing and intelligent." With a mission to advance diversity in classical in classical music, it has become known for programming that combines music from the standard string quartet canon with jazz, Latin, and contemporary works. Since its debut at Carnegie Hall in 2006, the ensemble has impressed audiences across North and South America, Europe and South Africa with its remarkable mastery of a range of musical styles. Among its recordings is a multi-Grammy award winning collaboration with jazz masters Chick Corea and Gary Burton.

Paquito D'Rivera is celebrated worldwide both for his artistry in Latin jazz and his achievements as a classical composer. Born in Havana, he studied at the Havana Conservatory of Music. In 1973, D'Rivera became co-director of Irakere, a popular ensemble whose explosive mixture of jazz, rock, classical, and traditional Cuban music had never before been heard; the band won a Grammy Award for Best Latin Jazz Ensemble in 1979. In 1981, while on tour in Spain, D'Rivera sought asylum in the United States. Since then he has toured the world with his ensembles and has made more than 30 solo albums, 14 of them winning Grammy Awards.

Paquito D'Rivera has become the consummate multinational ambassador, creating and promoting a cross-culture of music that moves effortlessly between jazz, Latin, and classical. He has appeared with, or written commissions for, Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Library of Congress, the National Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Simón Bolivar Symphonic Orchestra, among others. In recognition of his contributions, in 2005 he was awarded the National Medal of Arts.

Concert Details

Friday, October 11, 2019, 8:00 PM

Harlem Quartet

Schaver Music Recital Hall, 480 W. Hancock in Midtown Detroit

Program:

Jean Perrault: "Exodus" String Quartet

William Grant Still: Lyric Quartette

Jesse Montgomery: Strum

George Walker: Molto Adagio: "Lyric for Strings," from String Quartet No. 1

Wynton Marsalis: At the Octaroon Balls

John Birks "Dizzy" Gillespie: A Night in Tunisia (arr. Dave Glenn and Harlem Quartet)

Billy Strayhorn: Take the "A" Train (arr. Paul Chihara and Harlem Quartet)

Saturday, October 12, 2019, 8:00 PM

Harlem Quartet with Paquito D'Rivera, clarinet

Seligman Performing Arts Center, 22305 W. 13 Mile Road, Beverly Hills

Program:

Bolcom: Poltergeist, from Three Rags for String Quartet

Debussy: Assez vif et bien rythmé, from String Quartet in G minor

Weber: Clarinet Quintet in B-flat major, Op. 34

D'Rivera: Original Works for Clarinet and Strings

Alborada Son and Contredanza, from Suite Aires Tropicales

A Farewell Mambo

Invitación al Danzón

La Fleur de Cayenne

Tickets: 313-335-3300 or www.CMSDetroit.org