Performance Today Awards Donati String Quartet Master Class With Parker Quartet

American Public Media's (APM) Performance Today and the world-renowned Parker Quartet are pleased to announce the Donati String Quartet as the winners of The Parker Quartet Master Class Contest. In early 2010 Performance Today challenged aspiring classical string quartets to submit their recording to Performance Today to win a chance to study with the popular public radio program's artists in residence, the Parker Quartet.

The winning submission came from the Donati String Quartet students at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music in Ohio. The Quartet has been performing together since early 2010 and is comprised of Holly Jenkins (Violin I), Lauren Manning (Violin II), DJ Cheek (Viola), and Mary Auner (Cello). Saying of their win,"We are very excited to have this opportunity to work with such a renowned professional quartet,"their impressive submissions included Franz Schubert: Quartettsatz in C minor, and Dmitri Shostakovich, String Quartet #2 in A major, 1st Overture. The students will travel to St. Paul, Minnesota on May 13 for their prize master class session with the Parker Quartet. Immediately following their time in Minnesota, the Quartet will begin a busy summer commencing with a performance at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C., for their Conservatory Project Concert Series.

The internationally lauded Parker Quartet and first-ever Artists-in-Residency for Classical Minnesota Public Radio I American Public Media hand selected the winners, saying they were "...very impressed by all of the applications to the Master Class Competition." Continuing, "We are thrilled that we'll be working with the Donati String Quartet as the winners. They showed great musicianship and ability in their recording, and it was clear that they understand the art of string quartet playing." The Parker Quartet has focused on education and outreach throughout their artists-in-residency program, with the master class competition opportunity naturally arising from alignment between the Parker Quartet and American Public Media's educational priorities.

Performance Today, hosted by acclaimed classical music host and commentator Fred Child, is a unique celebration of today's art of classical music. The two-hour weekday program features classical music in concert from studios, festivals and concert halls across the nation and around the world, as well as classical music news, interviews and features from American Public Media studios. On any given day, listeners to Performance Today may hear performances from the great concert halls of New York, Prague, London, Berlin and Paris. For local broadcast times, visit performancetoday.org/stations.

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