vera quartet, string quartet - astralartists.org...vera quartet, string quartet biography passionate...

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astralartists.org/artist/vera-quartet 230 South Broad Street Suite 300 Philadelphia, PA 19102 [email protected] office: 215.735.6999 fax: 215.735.6856 www.astralartists.org VERA QUARTET, string quartet Biography Passionate about sharing the uniquely democratic dynamic of a string quartet with diverse audiences within and beyond the concert hall, the Vera Quartet is a winner of the 2018 Astral National Auditions. Currently the String Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Veras captured the Grand Prize at both the Chamber Music Yellow Springs and Plowman Chamber Music competitions, as well as top prizes from the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Prize from the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Recent and upcoming highlights include collaborations with pianist Peter Serkin and violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and residencies at the San Juan Music Academy in Argentina, Switzerland’s Verbier Festival Academy, the Intimacy of Creativity Festival in Hong Kong, and the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. They have also embarked upon international tours in Argentina, Hong Kong, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Vietnam. The Vera Quartet has held residencies at the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Beethovenhaus in Germany, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy. In 2017, they were selected as one of five Young Artists in Residence for NPR’s “Performance Today”. As educators and arts advocates, the member of the Vera Quartet are passionate about bringing interactive performances to diverse audiences in community venues. Recently, they partnered with the School District of Philadelphia under the auspices of Astral, bringing over 20 interactive performances in both English and Spanish to public elementary schools in the Philadelphia area. In the summer of 2019, the quartet also taught at the Festival Indiana (San Juan, Argentina) and for the Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Studies Program. Formed in 2015 at Indiana University, the Vera Quartet was mentored by the Pacifica Quartet as the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the Jacobs School of Music. They have also worked with members of the Brentano, Guarneri, and Orion quartets, as well as with Pamela Frank, Atar Arad, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. The Vera Quartet firmly believes in the power of chamber music to transform people, and to ultimately contribute towards a just, egalitarian, and inclusive society. For presenters, please include: “Vera Quartet appears courtesy of Astral Artists.” When editing please do not delete references to Astral. AUGUST 2019 (Please destroy any previously dated material.) Photo: Ryan Brandenberg Visit astralartists.org to download hi-res images

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Page 1: VERA QUARTET, string quartet - astralartists.org...VERA QUARTET, string quartet Biography Passionate about sharing the uniquely democratic dynamic of a string quartet with diverse

astralartists.org/artist/vera-quartet

230 South Broad Street � Suite 300 � Philadelphia, PA 19102 � [email protected] � office: 215.735.6999 � fax: 215.735.6856 � www.astralartists.org

VERA QUARTET, string quartet

Biography

Passionate about sharing the uniquely democratic dynamic of a string quartet with diverse audiences within and beyond the concert hall, the Vera Quartet is a winner of the 2018 Astral National Auditions. Currently the String Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music, the Veras captured the Grand Prize at both the Chamber Music Yellow Springs and Plowman Chamber Music competitions, as well as top prizes from the M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition, and the St. Lawrence String Quartet Prize from the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Recent and upcoming highlights include collaborations with pianist Peter Serkin and violist Hsin-Yun Huang, and residencies at the San Juan Music Academy in Argentina, Switzerland’s Verbier Festival Academy, the Intimacy of Creativity Festival in Hong Kong, and the Rockport Chamber Music Festival. They have also embarked upon international tours in Argentina, Hong Kong, South Korea, Spain, Switzerland, and Vietnam. The Vera Quartet has held residencies at the Aspen Music Festival, Banff Centre for Arts and Creativity, Beethovenhaus in Germany, the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, and the McGill International String Quartet Academy. In 2017, they were selected as one of five Young Artists in Residence for NPR’s “Performance Today”. As educators and arts advocates, the member of the Vera Quartet are passionate about bringing interactive performances to diverse audiences in community venues. Recently, they partnered with the

School District of Philadelphia under the auspices of Astral, bringing over 20 interactive performances in both English and Spanish to public elementary schools in the Philadelphia area. In the summer of 2019, the quartet also taught at the Festival Indiana (San Juan, Argentina) and for the Stanford University Pre-Collegiate Studies Program. Formed in 2015 at Indiana University, the Vera Quartet was mentored by the Pacifica Quartet as the Graduate Quartet-in-Residence at the Jacobs School of Music. They have also worked with members of the Brentano, Guarneri, and Orion quartets, as well as with Pamela Frank, Atar Arad, and Shmuel Ashkenasi. The Vera Quartet firmly believes in the power of chamber music to transform people, and to ultimately contribute towards a just, egalitarian, and inclusive society. For presenters, please include: “Vera Quartet appears courtesy of Astral Artists.” When editing please do not delete references to Astral. AUGUST 2019 (Please destroy any previously dated material.)

Photo: Ryan Brandenberg Visit astralartists.org to download hi-res images

Page 2: VERA QUARTET, string quartet - astralartists.org...VERA QUARTET, string quartet Biography Passionate about sharing the uniquely democratic dynamic of a string quartet with diverse

astralartists.org/artist/vera-quartet

230 South Broad Street � Suite 300 � Philadelphia, PA 19102 � [email protected] � office: 215.735.6999 � fax: 215.735.6856 � www.astralartists.org

VERA QUARTET, string quartet Acclaim

“apparent from the first chord was the large, full sound of the group….exquisite tone…The quartet seemed to revel in the beauty and perfection of its pianissimo.…one experienced great delicacy [that was] nothing short of exquisite…[they] stand out in color and expression…a very special sound…what the best music-making is about.”–Classical Voice of North Carolina "The Vera foursome…rewarded us with amazing energy and laser-like accuracy, as well as comfort with just plain fun."–The Boston Musical Intelligencer