Tesla Quartet Announces A Bartók Journey, An In-Depth Exploration Of The Six String Quartets

The Tesla Quartet announces A Bartók Journey, an exploration of the complete string quartets of Béla Bartók over six weeks in March-June 2021. Each week will focus on one string quartet and features live expert discussions with authors, members of eminent string quartets, and composers; live virtual open rehearsals; enriching social media content; and live stream performances.

Guest speakers and experts include Dr. Dániel Péter Biró, Professor of Composition at University of Bergen, Norway; Mark Steinberg, first violinist of the Brentano String Quartet; Dániel Hamar, co-founder of Muszikás; Nicholas Kitchen, first violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet; Károly Schranz, founding second violinist of the Takács Quartet; and composer Gabriela Lena Frank. Audience members will immerse themselves in the unique characteristics of each work and trace the development of Bartók's style throughout his career through six weeks of live events hosted on the Tesla Quartet's YouTube Channel, plus additional content on the quartet's social media platforms.

Week 1 of A Bartók Journey, sponsored by Friends of Chamber Music of Troy, NY, celebrates Bartók's String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7. The first virtual, interactive public event will take place on Wednesday, March 10 at 3:00pm EST, when the Tesla Quartet will host composer Dr. Dániel Péter Biró, co-editor of The String Quartets of Béla Bartók: Tradition and Legacy in Analytical Perspective for an in-depth discussion about the historical context and musical ideas in the First String Quartet. Viewers will be invited to participate in a Q&A following the discussion. On Friday, March 12 at 1:00pm EST, the Tesla Quartet will hold a virtual open rehearsal live stream, where viewers will get a behind-the-scenes sneak peek into the quartet's rehearsal process as they prepare the quartet for performance. Viewers will learn about the Tesla Quartet's approach to phrasing, ensemble, and musical character and be invited to participate in a post-rehearsal Q&A. Week 1's activities will culminate in a live stream performance on Saturday, March 13 at 7:30pm EST of Bartók's String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 7. Viewers will be invited to a Zoom chat after the performance to share their thoughts on the week's activities.

A Bartók Journey Week 2 celebrates the composer's String Quartet No. 2, Sz. 67 and begins on Wednesday, March 17 at 7:00pm EST with a virtual, interactive discussion with Mark Steinberg, first violinist of the Brentano String Quartet. Audiences can view and participate in Tesla's Virtual Open Rehearsal on Friday, March 19 at 1:00pm EST and hear the final performance of the work in an interactive live stream on Saturday, March 20 at 7:30pm EST.

Tesla Quartet highlights Bartók's String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85 in Week 3, sponsored by Grand Valley State University. On Wednesday, March 24 at 3:00pm EST, Tesla Quartet will host a discussion with Dániel Hamar, co-founder of the Hungarian folk music group Muszikás. The Virtual Open Rehearsal takes place on Friday, March 26 at 1:00pm EST and the week will culminate with a live streamed performance on Saturday, March 27 at 7:30pm EST that features Bartók's String Quartet No. 3, Sz. 85 and Tesla Quartet violinist Ross Snyder's arrangement of the composer's Romanian Folk Dances.

Week 4 - a deep dive into Bartók's String Quartet No. 4, Sz. 91 - begins on Wednesday, May 26 at 1:00pm EST with a live Zoom chat with Nicholas Kitchen, first violinist of the Borromeo String Quartet. The Tesla Quartet's Virtual Open Rehearsal will take place on Friday, May 28 at 1:00pm EST and audiences can hear the final live streamed performance of Bartók's fourth quartet on Saturday, May 29 at 7:30pm EST.

A Bartók Journey Week 5 celebrates String Quartet No. 5, Sz. 110, opening with a live Zoom chat on Tuesday, June 1 at 1:00pm EST with Károly Schranz, founding second violinist of the Takács Quartet. A Virtual Open Rehearsal on Friday, June 4 at 1:00pm EST prepares the audience and quartet for a live streamed performance of the fifth quartet on Saturday, June 5 at 7:30pm EST.

Tesla Quartet completes the full cycle of A Bartók Journey in Week 6 with a week focused on composer's String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 119. Tesla Quartet members chat live with composer Gabriela Lena Frank on Wednesday, June 9 at 1:00pm EST and invite audiences to view a Virtual Open Rehearsal on Friday, June 11 at 1:00pm EST. The series culminates on Saturday, June 12 at 7:30pm EST with the final live streamed performance of Bartók's final quartet, String Quartet No. 6, Sz. 119.

A Bartók Journey Schedule Of Events
Registration Link: https://www.teslaquartet.com/bartok-journey-viewer-registration
Free and Open to the Public with Donations Welcome. Content for Weeks 1-3 will Remain Online.

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