MEDIA CONTACT: 415-681-9045
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FAMED CYPRESS STRING QUARTET TEAMS UP WITH LEADING OPERA, CLASSICAL AND JAZZ ARTISTS FOR NOONTIME MUSIC & CONVERSATION SERIES
Six events at San José State feature the Cypress Quartet, Erie Mills, Joe Frank, Zuill Bailey, Stone Zimmerman Duo, Luciana Souza, Antigoni Goni, Amit Peled
Leading classical music innovators the Cypress String Quartet present one of the Bay Area’s most unusual and varied performance series, Music & Conversation, featuring six free performances from September 21 2006 through May 10 2007. Music & Conversation allows audience members to take a mid-day break to enjoy some of the world’s best young classical and jazz artists in performance followed by a free discourse offering insight into their work and process. 2006-2007 Music & Conversation dates and programs are listed below and each performance begins at 12:30pm in the Concert Hall of the SJSU Music Building, which is located on El Paseo de Cesar E.Chavez (Seventh Street), SJSU Campus, info hotline: 408-924-4675.
Originated by the Cypress String Quartet, Music & Conversation is a joint presentation with San José State University and San Francisco in association with the SJSU School of Music and Dance’s “The Listening Hour” program.
The Cypress String Quartet
The Cypress String Quartet has captivated audiences around the world with virtuoso performances. Featured in Chamber Music Magazine as a “Generation X ensemble to watch,” Quartet members Cecily Ward &Tom Stone, violins; Ethan Filner, viola; and Jennifer Kloetzel, cello; blend outstanding performance with innovative programming and exemplary leadership in music education and outreach.
Since its inception in 1996, the Cypress String Quartet has built a respected body of new music, commissioning and premiering over 25 works from many of America’s leading composers. A piece commissioned last season came from 2005 Grawemeyer Award winning composer, George Tsontakis. Two other composers recently commissioned by the Cypress have been nominated for Grammy Awards for Best Classical Composition: Benjamin Lees (2003) and Jennifer Higdon (2004). Four Cypress-commissioned works appear on Chamber Music America’s list of “101 Great American Ensemble Works”.
As Quartet-in-Residence at San José State University, the Cypress String Quartet’s strengths in performanceand education combine to serve the University and the greater Silicon Valley community. Named an Exemplary Arts Educator by the California Arts Council, the Quartet’s groundbreaking Call & Response program has impacted thousands of students in dozens of Bay Area schools. The Cypress has reached an estimated 100,000 students through educational activities including Native Americans in rural New Mexico and inner-city students in Los Angeles, Philadelphia and Chicago. In September 2004 the Cypress was selected by the Juilliard School for the McGraw-Hill Companies’ Robert Sherman Award for Music Education and Community Outreach in recognition of their national leadership in education.
The Cypress is reaching out in new ways to ignite interest in chamber music. In the 2006-07 season, the Quartet melds tradition with technology in its premiere of Inspired by America, a multi-media collaboration with best-selling author Jacob Needleman and Emmy Award-winning film maker Michael Schwarz. Supported by funding from the National Endowment for the Arts, and blending live music, original film and the spoken word, this performance fuses precision playing with world-class technology to create an evocative, thought-provoking portrait of the American spirit. Inspired by America debuts at the Lied Center of Kansas and the Krannert Center at the University of Illinois in January 2007.
2006-2007 MUSIC & CONVERSATION SERIES
Vocalists Joe Frank and Erie Mills September 21
Erie Mills has received critical and popular acclaim throughout the world, dazzling audiences with her sparkling coloratura voice, captivating personality, and vivid portrayals of operatic roles. Tenor Joseph Frank has long specialized in the lyric character tenor repertoire. He appears regularly with leading opera companies, and his recent appearances include The Marriage of Figaro for the Austin Lyric Opera; Die Fledermaus for San Diego Opera; Boris Godunov in Toulouse, France; Madama Butterfly and Turandot for the Pittsburgh Opera; and the world premiere of Nicholas and Alexandra with the Los Angeles Opera. Ms. Mills and Mr. Frank will be accompanied by Dr. Gwendolyn Mok, head of Keyboard studies at San Jose State University.
Erie Mills, soprano Joe Frank, tenor Gwendolyn Mok, piano
Stone-Zimmerman Duo October 19
The Stone-Zimmermann Duo has been captivating audiences with their blend of superb musicianship, ravishing sound and profound interpretations. German violinist Iris Stone is a member of the New Century Chamber Orchestra and has recently performed and recorded with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra on the EMI label. Swiss Pianist Eva-Maria Zimmermann maintains a career on two continents. She has appeared at festivals in Israel, the US and Europe.
Stone-Zimmerman duo
Zuill Bailey and the Cypress String Quartet November 21
A multi-faceted musician of consummate virtuosity, Zuill Bailey has established himself as one of the most sought-after and active cellists today. He continues his collaboration with trio partners, pianist Navah Perlman and violinist Giora Schmidt. Mr. Bailey made his Carnegie Hall debut with the U.S. premiere of Miklos Theodorakis’ Rhapsody for Cello and Orchestra. He performs on a 1693 Matteo Goffriller cello, formerly owned by Mischa Schneider of the Budapest Quartet.
www.zuillbailey.com www.cypressquartet.com
Luciana Souza March 1
Three-time Grammy nominee Luciana Souza hails from São Paulo, Brazil, where she began her recording career at age three. A successful jazz career includes records with some of the greatest artists of our time. In 2005, she was awarded Female Jazz Singer of the Year, by the Jazz Journalists Association. She currently teaches at Manhattan School of Music, in New York.
www.lucianasouza.com
Antigoni Goni March 15
Greek guitarist Antigoni Goni enjoys a truly international career. She is a professor of Guitar at the Royal Conservatory in Brussels, Artist-in -residence for San Francisco Performances, founded the guitar department at Columbia University and holds an honorary position at the Royal Academy of Music in London. Winner of the Guitar Foundation of America Competition, Ms. Goni contracts with Naxos Records, for whom she has recorded three highly successful CDs.
www.antigonigoni.com
Amit Peled with the Cypress String Quartet May 10
Israeli cellist Amit Peled is an internationally recognized soloist. In addition to continuing his Beethoven Cycle of performances and recordings in Israel,USA, Spain and Germany, Mr. Peled will record the "Russian Evening" project on DVD. As an advocate of Israeli music, Mr. Peled has just released a Cello Concerto by Mark Kopytman with the Tel Aviv Soloists under the JMC label. Mr. Peled plays a rare Andrea Guarneri Cello ca. 1689.
www.amitpeled.com www.cypressquartet.com
Admission to Music & Conversation performances is free of charge.
For more information call 415-681-9045 or visit www.cypressquartet.com
