Event: The University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music opens its 2009-10 season with an all-Bach performance by the Miró Quartet. They will be joined by guest performers from the school’s renowned performance faculty, and the concert will feature the Austin premiere of the Aeolus Quartet, the new graduate student resident quartet who will study with the Miró beginning in fall 2009.
When: Friday, Sept. 4, 7:30 p.m.
Where: Bates Recital Hall. A map is online.
Tickets: At the door: $20 for public; $17 for faculty/staff and seniors; $10 for students. Box office opens at 6:30 p.m.
Background: The student quartet residency was announced in spring 2009, and the Miró auditioned young professional quartets from around the country to select the debut Butler School of Music student quartet. The Aeolus Quartet, formed in 2006 at the Cleveland Institute of Music, was named the winning group. Group members receive full-tuition scholarships and stipends to study with Miró for two years, earning master’s degrees in chamber music performance. At this concert, they will perform Bach’s Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F major, and Cantata no. 82 alongside the Miró Quartet.
Joining the combined quartets are a host of special guests including Butler School of Music professors Marianne Gedigian (flute), Rebecca Henderson (oboe), David Small (baritone) and DaXun Zhang (double bass). Austin native Jean Fuller will join the group at the harpsichord, and alumnus Brian Shaw will also perform on the valveless baroque trumpet. Shaw is co-principal trumpet with the Dallas Wind Symphony and professor of trumpet at Louisiana State University.
The Miró Quartet is the resident faculty string quartet at the Butler School of Music. The members of the Miró Quartet, violinists Daniel Ching and Sandy Yamamoto, violist John Largess and cellist Joshua Gindele, teach and coach chamber music while continuing their international touring schedule. Since winning first prize at the 1998 Banff International String Quartet Competition and the prestigious Naumburg Chamber Music Award in 2000, the Miró Quartet has captivated audiences around the world, dazzling listeners with its youthful intensity and mature interpretations.
This concert will be webcast live from the Butler School of Music Web site. You can access the webcast by selecting the Miró Quartet link on the September calendar of events. More information about this and all Butler School of Music events can be found on the calendar or by calling the Butler School of Music events hotline at 512-471-5401.
