St. Lawrence String Quartet Returns to Segerstrom Center with World Premiere Tonight

The adventurous St. Lawrence String Quartet marks its third Segerstrom Center appearance with an exciting program that includes a world premiere of composer James Matheson's new string quartet commissioned for the Center's Chamber Music Series by long-time subscribers Elizabeth and Justus Schlichting. The evening's program also includes Haydn's String Quartet in E Flat Major as well as his "Emperor" quartet and Korngold's String Quartet No. 3. The St. Lawrence String Quartet includes Geoff Nuttall and newly appointed Mark Fewer, violin; Lesley Robertson, viola and Christopher Costanza, cello. The quartet has selected Fewer to succeed the departing Scott St. John, beginning on January 1, 2014.

"Everything about our February 2014 Costa Mesa program is exciting to us," expresses Christopher Costanza. "The combination of works is unique and innovative, and we're especially fired up about the new quartet we'll be premiering by James Matheson. The Korngold 3rd quartet, a rarely heard gem composed right at the end of World War II, marks Korngold's first offering of concert music after a long period of composing film scores."

Tickets for St. Lawrence String Quartet start at $29 and are now available online at SCFTA.org, at the Box Office at 600 Town Center Drive in Costa Mesa or by calling (714) 556-2787. The TTY number is (714) 556-2746. A free Preview Talk with musicologist and author Herbert Glass will take place at 7:15 p.m. in Samueli Theater.

The St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) The St. Lawrence String Quartet (SLSQ) has established itself among the world-class chamber ensembles of its generation. Its mission: bring every piece of music to the audience in vivid color, with pronounced communication and teamwork, and great respect to the composer. Since winning both the Banff International String Quartet Competition and Young Concert Artists International Auditions in 1992, the quartet has delighted audiences with its spontaneous, passionate, and dynamic performances. Alex Ross of The New Yorker magazine writes, "the St. Lawrence are remarkable not simply for the quality of their music making, exalted as it is, but for the joy they take in the act of connection."

Whether playing Haydn or premiering a new work, the SLSQ has a rare ability to bring audiences to rapt attention. They reveal surprising nuances in familiar repertoire and illuminate the works of some of today's most celebrated composers, often all in the course of one evening. John Adams has written two critically-acclaimed works expressly for the quartet, including "String Quartet" (2009) and "Absolute Jest" (2012), which they premiered with the San Francisco Symphony in 2012. In 2011, SLSQ premiered "Qohelet," a work by Osvaldo Golijov, also composed for them.

SLSQ maintains a busy touring schedule. Some 2013/14 season highlights include visits to Vancouver, Princeton, Portland, OR, Toronto, Philadelphia, Ann Arbor, Palm Beach, Washington, DC, and will premiere a new work by George Tsontakis in Carmel, CA. They will perform "Absolute Jest" with the Toronto Symphony, and also on a European tour with the San Francisco Symphony. During the summer season, SLSQ is proud to continue its long association with the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, SC.

Since 1998 the SLSQ has held the position of Ensemble in Residence at Stanford University. This residency includes working with music students as well as extensive collaborations with other faculty and departments using music to explore myriad topics. Recent collaborations have involved the School of Medicine, School of Education, and the Law School. In addition to their appointment at Stanford, the SLSQ are visiting artists in residence at Arizona State University at Tempe. The foursome's passion for opening up musical arenas to players and listeners alike is evident in their annual summer chamber music seminar at Stanford and their many forays into the depths of musical meaning with preeminent music educator Robert Kapilow.

Lesley Robertson and Geoff Nuttall are founding members of the group, and hail from Edmonton, Alberta, and London, Ontario, respectively. Christopher Costanza is from Utica, NY, and joined the group in 2003. Mark Fewer, a native of Newfoundland, begins his first season with the quartet in 2014, succeeding violinist Scott St. John. All four members of the quartet live and teach at Stanford, in the Bay Area of California.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts applauds special underwriting support from Sam B. Ersan. Classical KUSC is the Media Partner of the Chamber Music Series.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is an acclaimed arts institution and multi-disciplinary cultural campus. It is committed to supporting artistic excellence on all of its stages, offering unsurpassed experiences, and engaging the entire community in new and exciting ways through the unique power of live performance and a diverse array of inspiring programs.

Segerstrom Center is Orange County's largest non-profit arts organization and owns and operates the 3,000-seat Segerstrom Hall and intimate 250-seat Founders Hall, which opened in 1986, and the 2,000- seat Rene?e and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall, which opened in 2006 and also houses the 500-seat Samueli Theater, the Lawrence and Kristina Dodge Education Center's studio performance space and Boeing Education Lab. A spacious arts plaza anchors the Center and is home to numerous free performances throughout the year as part of the Free for All series.

The Center presents a broad range of programming for audiences of all ages, including international dance, national tours of top Broadway shows, intimate performances of jazz and cabaret, contemporary artists, classical music, family-friendly programming, free performances, including outdoor movie screenings, dance parties and other special events. The Center's education programs inspire young people through the arts and reach hundreds of thousands of students each year.

In addition to the presenting and producing institution Segerstrom Center for the Arts, the 14-acre campus also embraces the facilities of South Coast Repertory and the site of the future home of the Orange County Museum of Art.

Segerstrom Center for the Arts is the artistic home: Pacific Symphony, the Philharmonic Society of Orange County and the Pacific Chorale, who contribute greatly to the artistic life of the region with annual seasons at Segerstrom Center for the Arts.

ST. LAWRENCE STRING QUARTET comes to the Segerstrom Center for the Arts - Samueli Theater tonight, February 19, 2014 at 8 p.m. Free Preview Talk with Herbert Glass will take place at 7:15 p.m. in Samueli Theater, 615 Town Center Drive, Costa Mesa, CA Segerstrom Center for the Arts. Tickets start at $29. Contact the Box Office in person at 600 Town Center Drive Costa Mesa, CA or by phone (714) 556-2787 (Open 10 a.m. - 6 p.m.) or daily online at SCFTA.org.

Information provided is accurate at the time of printing, but is subject to change. Segerstrom Center for the Arts is a private, non-profit organization. "Segerstrom Center for the Arts" is a registered trademark.

To post a comment, you must register and login.