Taos School Of Music 2021 Chamber Music Festival Continues With Shanghai Quartet Sunday July 18

The Shanghai Quartet performs works by Beethoven, Long and Smetana July 18. Photo by Sophie Zhai

Taos School of Music News:

The Taos School of Music continues its 58th season of world-class chamber music with live concerts held in the Taos Ski Valley under the Taos Tent.

Enjoy breathtaking faculty concerts with the Shanghai Quartet, Brentano Quartet, Thomas Sauer, and stellar Young Artists concerts with gifted musicians on the cusp of major careers.

Those unable to make it to a live concert may still enjoy these performances in the comfort of their own home by purchasing on-demand tickets for 30-day access to online broadcasts.

The Shanghai Quartet performs works by Beethoven, Long, and Smetana Sunday, July 18. Two unique Young Artists concerts will be held Saturday, July 24 and Sunday, July 25.

The final faculty concert of the season takes place Sunday, Aug. 1, and features the Brentano String Quartet and pianist Thomas Sauer performing works of Haydn, Bacewicz, and Beethoven. The season finishes with two distinctive Young Artists concerts take place on Saturday, Aug. 7 and Sunday, Aug. 8; these two final concerts will both be followed by a reception.

All live concerts begin at 4 p.m. in the Taos Tent at the Taos Ski Valley on Thunderbird Road just past the Brownell Chalet. In addition, all concerts will be available for on-demand broadcast for 30 days, starting one week after their live performance.

Called “utterly sublime” by The New York Times, the Shanghai Quartet has become one of the world’s foremost chamber ensembles. Formed in 1983 at China’s Shanghai Conservatory, the group is based in the United States and performs throughout North America, Europe and Asia. The Shanghai Quartet is known for drawing on the traditions of both Eastern and Western music, as well as championing new music. Their repertoire includes works from traditional Chinese folk music, the Western classical canon, and cutting-edge contemporary composers. This is the eighth summer that the Shanghai Quartet has taught with the Taos School of Music in Taos. The Shanghai Quartet is comprised of Weigang Li (violin), Angelo Xiang Yu, (violin), Honggang Li (viola), and Nicholas Tzavaras (cello).

The Philadelphia Inquirer praised the Brentano String Quartet’s “seemingly infallible instincts for finding the center of gravity in every phrase and musical gesture,” and the London Times called them “magnificent.” Since its inception in 1992, the Quartet has performed across five continents in the world’s most distinguished venues, including New York’s Carnegie Hall, Vienna’s Konzerthaus, Tokyo’s Suntory Hall, and Sydney’s Opera House.

The Brentano String Quartet has commissioned new works from some of today’s most important composers. One of their current projects is “Dido Reimagined.” The Quartet asked composer Melinda Wagner and librettist Stephanie Fleischmann to respond to Purcell’s famous aria, “Dido’s Lament” and reflect on the ancient story of Queen Dido to create the work. Brentano String Quartet will perform “Dido Reimagined” with soprano Dawn Upshaw during their 2021-22 concert season. This is the 15th season that the Brentano String Quartet has taught with the Taos School of Music. Misha Amory (viola), Serena Canin (violin), Nina Lee (cello), and Mark Steinberg (violin) are the members of the Brentano String Quartet. 

Pianist Thomas Sauer is an accomplished soloist, chamber musician and recital partner who has played at many of the leading festivals in the United States and abroad. He regularly performs works of new music, and recently premiered works by Philippe Bodin, Robert Cuckson, Sebastian Currier, Keith Fitch, David Loeb, Donald Martino, David Tcimpidis, and Richard Wilson. Among his discography, Sauer has recorded Beethoven and Haydn piano sonatas for MSR Classics, music of Britten and Schnittke with cellist Wilhelmina Smith on Arabesque; music of Ross Lee Finney with violinist Miranda Cuckson on Centaur Records; and violin sonatas of Mozart with Aaron Berofsky on Blue Griffin Recordings. MSR Classics recently released Sauer’s recording with cellist Colin Carr of the complete cello/piano music of Beethoven.

Sauer is the founder and director of the Mannes Beethoven Institute, a highly regarded week-long summer training program in New York, and has students at Mannes College, Vassar College, and the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. This is the ninth year that Sauer has taught for the Taos School of Music.

Each year, the Taos School of Music hosts 19 young chamber musicians at its highly selective summer school in Taos Ski Valley. These young artists are all accomplished musicians who spend the summer honing their craft under the mentorship of world-class musicians.

This year’s 2021 Young Artist Cohort is Elena Ariza (cello), Chih-ta Chen (viola), Cameron Daly (violin), Po-Wei Ger (piano), Alexander Goldberg (violin), Abigail Hong (violin), Alena Hove (violin), Annie (SeEun) Hyung (cello), Brian Isaacs (viola), Evan Johanson (violin), Haekyung Ju (violin), Colin Laursen (viola), Allen Liang (cello), Clara Neubauer (violin), Daniel Orsen (viola), Jasmine Pai (cello), Lucas Stratman (violin), Jakob Taylor (cello), and Chaojun Yang (piano). The students range in age from 19 to 27 and come from California, New Jersey, Washington, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Taiwan, Korea, and China.

Collectively, they have studied at the best musical schools, including The Juilliard School, Curtis Institute, Yale School of Music, Manhattan School of Music, New England Conservatory, Colburn Conservatory, Northwestern University, Cleveland Institute of Music, Eastman School of Music, Oberlin Conservatory, Rice University Shepherd School of Music, and Bard Conservatory.

Tickets for faculty concerts are $25, tickets for Sunday Young Artists concerts are $15 and for Saturday Young Artists concerts are free. Purchase tickets at taosschoolofmusic.com with the opportunity to watch concerts both live and on-demand. Tickets can also be purchased at the door of the Taos Tent for an in- person concert experience. Reservations are encouraged but not required and can be made through contacting tsofm@newmex.com or calling 575.776.2388.

Taos School of Music is one of the world’s oldest and most renowned summer chamber music schools for young professional chamber musicians. The small class size, rigorous program, distinguished faculty and inspirational setting make this an experience of a lifetime! For details, visit taosschoolofmusic.com.

Remainder of 2021 Chamber Music Festival Schedule for Taos School of Music:

  • Sunday, July 18 Faculty Concert: Shanghai Quartet
  • Saturday, July 24 Young Artists Concert (free)
  • Sunday, July 25 Young Artists Concert
  • Sunday, Aug. 1 Faculty Concert: Brentano String Quartet with pianist Thomas Sauer
  • Saturday, Aug. 7 Young Artists Concert (free)
  • Sunday Aug. 8 Young Artists Concert

Taos School of Music concerts take place at 4 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays through August as detailed in the above schedule. Dates are listed for the schedule of live concerts. Note: On-demand, online broadcasts occur one week after live concerts to allow for post-production.

The Brentano String Quartet performs Sunday, Aug. 1. Courtesy/TSM

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