AUSTIN, Texas—The Miró Quartet, one of America’s brightest and most exciting young string quartets, has been appointed Faculty String Quartet at The University of Texas at Austin.
This appointment follows a series of faculty appointments intended to position the School of Music in the College of Fine Arts as the leading music institution among public universities in the nation.
Starting in September of this year, the members of the Miró Quartet will teach violin, viola and cello students in the School of Music, while coaching chamber music ensembles and continuing to enjoy an active international touring schedule. With this appointment, The University of Texas at Austin joins an elite group of institutions whose faculty includes a world-class string quartet.
“The Miró possesses a wonderful balance of top-notch performance abilities, a passion for chamber music that is infectious and great energy in their teaching,” said Brian Lewis, associate professor of violin and chair of the string quartet search committee. “They come to Texas with a strong vision for the future of chamber music in our great state.”
The Miró Quartet will continue to perform nationally and internationally, representing the university and the state of Texas in some of the world’s most recognized concert venues. Their appointment at the university also requires that they perform locally and throughout the state.
“The Miró Quartet will become one of the brightest stars on the music scene of Texas,” said Robert Freeman, dean of the College of Fine Arts. “The string quartet program will improve our artistic standards and will create a deeper and richer pool of string players for our professional orchestras, public schools and other universities around the state.”
“There is almost nothing one would want from a string quartet that the Miró can’t do: Clarity, articulation, balance and an appealing tonal palette are all accounted for,” said Philip Kennicott, classical music critic at The Washington Post.
Since winning First Prize at the 1998 Banff International String Quartet Competition and the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 2000, the Miró Quartethas captivated audiences around the world. Formed in the fall of 1995, the quartet met with immediate success, winning the First Prize at the 50th annual Coleman Chamber Music Competition in April 1996, and the following month taking both the First and Grand prizes at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
“Having the Miro Quartet here will help us draw the best string students from all over the world,” said Glenn Chandler, director of the School of Music. “The string program is the basis of any university’s chamber music, orchestral and operatic programs, and it is vital to the advancement of our school.”
The members of the quartet are Daniel Ching, violin; Sandy Yamamoto, violin; Joshua Gindele, cello; and John Largess, viola. Additional information is available on the Miró Quartet Web site.
For more information contact: Bruno Longarini, College of Fine Arts, 512-475-7021.
