Join us for an evening with the Aizuri Quartet as they perform selections from their program "Community" - a sonic exploration of collaboration, kinship, and harmony.

Concert Program:

Reena Esmail (b.1983): Ragamala (2018)

• I. Fantasie (Bihag)

Felix Mendelssohn (1809-1847): Four Pieces for String Quartet, Op. 81

• III. Capriccio in E Minor (1843)

Judd Greenstein (b.1979): Four on the Floor (2006)

Silvestre Revueltas (1899-1940): String Quartet No. 4, Música de Feria (1932)

Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel (1805-1847): String Quartet in E-flat Major (1834)

• I. Adagio ma non troppo
• II. Allegretto
• IV. Allegro molto vivace

Concert Schedule:

• Doors open - welcome snacks and drinks - 6:30pm
• Music program - 7:00-8:00pm
• After-concert jam - 8:00 - 9:30pm

Musicians are welcome to bring their instruments to join the after-concert sight reading

AIZURI QUARTET

Emma Frucht and Miho Saegusa, Violins
Brian Hong, Viola
Caleb van der Swaagh, Cello 

https://www.aizuriquartet.com/

Praised by The Washington Post for “astounding” and “captivating” performances that draw from its notable “meld of intellect, technique and emotions,” the Aizuri Quartet was named the recipient of the 2022 Cleveland Quartet Award by Chamber Music America, with other honors including the Grand Prize at the 2018 M-Prize Chamber Arts Competition and top prizes at the 2017 Osaka International Chamber Music Competition in Japan and the 2015 Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition in London. 

The Quartet’s sophomore album, Earthdrawn Skies, was released in 2023. Featuring music of Hildegard of Bingen, Komitas Vartapet, Eleanor Alberga, and Jean Sibelius, Earthdrawn Skies was praised by NPR Music as an album that “convincingly connects the dots in wildly diverse music stretching over eight centuries…arousing solemn contemplation, cosmic curiosity, folksy delight and introspective scrutiny.” Aizuri’s debut album, Blueprinting, featuring works written for the Quartet by five American composers, was released by New Amsterdam Records to critical acclaim (“In a word, stunning” —I Care If You Listen), nominated for a 2019 GRAMMY Award, and named one of NPR Music’s Best Classical Albums of 2018. 

Aizuri Quartet have previously performed in an eclectic variety of settings: In addition to the world’s great chamber music series, Aizuri opened five nights of performances with legendary Indie Rock band Wilco with quartets by Gabriella Smith, Paul Wiancko, Rhiannon Giddens, and George Meyer at New York’s United Palace Theatre. Aizuri appeared with Wilco on CBS’s The Tonight Show with Steven Colbert. With Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Ken David Masur, Aizuri Quartet performed John Adams’s string quartet concerto Absolute Jest in 2022. During the summer of 2023, they appeared in Kronos Quartet’s Kronos Festival at SFJAZZ, where they played works commissioned by Kronos’s groundbreaking 50 For the Future initiative.

The Aizuri views the string quartet as a living art and springboard for community, collaboration, curiosity and experimentation. At the core of its music-making is a virtuosic ability to illuminate a vast range of musical styles through the Aizuri’s eclectic, engaging and thought-provoking programs. The Quartet has drawn praise both for bringing “a technical bravado and emotional power” to bold new commissions, and for its “flawless” (San Diego Union-Tribune) performances of the great works of the past. Exemplifying this intrepid spirit, the Aizuri Quartet curated and performed five adventurous programs as the 2017-2018 MetLiveArts String Quartet-in-Residence at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, leading The New York Times to applaud Aizuri Quartet as “genuinely exciting,” “imaginative” and “a quartet of expert collaborators.” For this series, the Quartet collaborated with spoken word artist Denice Frohman and shakuhachi player Kojiro Umezaki, and initiated several new commissions: new works by Kinan Azmeh, Michi Wiancko and Wang Lu, as well as new arrangements of vocal music by Hildegard von Bingen and Carlo Gesualdo paired with the music of Conlon Nancarrow, Haydn and Beethoven in a program focused on music created in periods of isolation.

The Aizuri believes in an integrative approach to music-making, in which teaching, performing, writing, arranging, curation, and the Quartet’s role in the community are all connected. In 2020, the Quartet launched AizuriKids, a free online series of educational videos for children that uses the string quartet as a catalyst for creative learning, featuring themes such as astronomy, American history, and cooking. These vibrant, whimsical, and interactive videos are lovingly produced by the Quartet and paired with activity sheets to inspire further exploration. 

The Aizuri Quartet is passionate about nurturing the next generation of artists, and is deeply grateful to have held several residencies that were instrumental in its development: the String Quartet-in-Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia (2014-2016), the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts (2015-2016), and the resident ensemble of the 2014 Ravinia Festival’s Steans Music Institute. In early 2022, the Aizuri Quartet was named fellows to the Artist Propulsion Lab, a project of WQXR, New York City’s classical radio station. 

After signing with the prestigious artist-development management agency Concert Artists Guild, the Quartet joined the roster of Pink Noise Agency. Formed in 2012 and combining four distinctive musical personalities into a powerful collective, the Aizuri Quartet draws its name from “aizuri-e,” a style of predominantly blue Japanese woodblock printing that is noted for its vibrancy and incredible detail.

EMMA FRUCHT

Violinist Emma Frucht’s favorite way of communicating with the world has been music for as long as she can remember. A native New Yorker, she grew up in a musical family – her mother is a violist, and her father (a neurologist by profession) plays violin and piano. Emma completed her undergraduate studies at Harvard University, majoring in Art History with a focus on Modern and Contemporary Art. Upon graduating from Harvard, she received the Robert Levin prize for excellence in musical performance. She earned her Master of Music degree from the Juilliard School as a Kovner Fellow, studying with Naoko Tanaka and Daniel Phillips. Her other primary teachers include Lynn Chang and Louise Behrend. Emma joined the faculty of Adelphi University in the fall of 2022 as an Adjunct Professor of Violin. 

Shortly after graduating from Juilliard, Emma joined the GRAMMY-nominated Aizuri Quartet. Notable highlights of recent seasons include the quartet’s major concerto debut with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra in performances of John Adams’s Absolute Jest, their debuts at the 92nd Street Y, Carnegie Hall, and the Celebrity Series of Boston, a fellowship with WQXR for their Artist Propulsion Lab, and Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award. 

In addition to quartet playing, Emma is a tenured member of the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, frequently serving as concertmaster and principal second violin. She performs regularly in leadership positions with the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and New York Classical Players, and is a frequent guest of the American Ballet Theater Orchestra, the American Symphony Orchestra, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and A Far Cry. Her work as concertmaster has taken place under the batons of conductors such as John Adams, Federico Cortese, Gustavo Dudamel, Alan Gilbert, David LaMarche, Gerard Schwarz, and Osmo Vänska. 

Chamber music has always been a great love of Emma’s. She has been an artist at numerous festivals over the past decade, including the Halcyon Music Festival, the Kyoto International Music Festival, Manchester Summer Chamber Music, the Taos School of Music, and Yellow Barn. She is a frequent guest of the Mistral Music series in Boston, MA, and has performed on numerous chamber music series in the New York area, including the Orchestra of St. Luke’s Temple Emanu-El series, Tertulia Chamber Music, Bargemusic’s Semplice Players, and tours with the Noree Chamber Soloists. Recent partnerships have included Natasha Brofsky, Jerry Grossman, David Hardy, Michael Kannen, Alan Kay, Seth Knopp, Anthony McGill, Demarre McGill, Katherine Murdock, Heng-Jin Park, Daniel Phillips, Carol Rodland, Marcy Rosen, Naoko Tanaka, the late Roger Tapping, Dan Tepfer, Marcus Thompson, and the Kronos Quartet. A fierce advocate of new music, Emma relishes any chance to collaborate with living composers. She has participated in numerous premieres, and has worked closely with composers such as Kinan Azmeh, Lembit Beecher, Douglas Cuomo, Brett Dean, Jennifer Higdon, Laura Karpman, David Serkin Ludwig, Layale Chaker, Steve Mackey, Missy Mazzoli, George Meyer, Nico Muhly, Caroline Shaw, Daniel Temkin, Michi Wiancko, Paul Wiancko, and Jörg Widmann.

MIHO SAEGUSA

Violinist Miho Saegusa, a versatile chamber musician and orchestral leader, has built a multifaceted career that allows her to cherish the spirit of collaboration. Her passion for chamber music was ignited and nurtured through memorable summers at the Marlboro Music Festival, Ravinia Steans Institute, and Music@Menlo as well as on tours with Musicians from Marlboro. During these summers she had the opportunity to collaborate with venerated musicians such as Mitsuko Uchida, Richard Goode, Arnold Steinhardt, David Soyer, and Miriam Fried. 

In addition to chamber music, Miho loves the energy and intimacy of chamber orchestras. She is a member of the celebrated Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and currently is serving as one of its three Artistic Directors. For five seasons she was Concertmaster of the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, and since 2001 is a member of IRIS Orchestra, where she has held the Isaac Stern Concertmaster Chair on numerous occasions. In addition, Miho has been a guest with A Far Cry, East Coast Chamber Orchestra, and NOVUS. 

Miho has been featured as soloist with the Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, IRIS Orchestra, New Jersey Symphony, Aspen Concert Orchestra, Juilliard Orchestra, and the Yale Symphony Orchestra. As the first recipient of the Aspen Music Festival and School's Dorothy DeLay Fellowship, Miho performed in the Festival's memorial tribute to Miss DeLay with the Aspen Chamber Symphony and conductor David Zinman. Additional honors include prizes at the New Jersey Symphony Orchestra Young Artist Auditions, Wieniawski­-Lipinski International Competition, Yehudi Menuhin International Competition, Juilliard Concerto Competition, and Yale University's William Waite Competition. Miho is a Music Scholarship Award recipient from the Japanese American Association of New York.

Born in Kitakyushu, Japan, Miho has played the violin since the age of five. She is very grateful to her principal teachers Masao Kawasaki and Dorothy DeLay for their generosity and for encouraging curiosity. She received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Yale University, and completed graduate work at The Juilliard School, earning her Master of Music and Artist Diploma. When not playing the violin, Miho can be found wandering around farmers’ markets or exploring restaurants recommended by friends.

BRIAN HONG

Korean-American violist Brian Hong has forged a notable career as a chamber musician and educator. Known for his commanding stage presence, Mr. Hong joined the Grammy-nominated Aizuri String Quartet in 2023. He has performed concertos with such orchestras as the Juilliard Orchestra, New York Classical Players, Fairfax Symphony, American Youth Philharmonic, Chesapeake Orchestra, US Army Orchestra, National Philharmonic, and the Springfield Symphony. A dedicated chamber musician, Mr. Hong has served on the faculty of the Manchester Music Festival and as guest artist at the Sebago-Long Lake Music Festival and Kneisel Hall. Other festival credits include Marlboro, Yellow Barn, Bowdoin International Music Festival, Music Academy of the West, the Taos School of Music, and the Perlman Music Program.

Mr. Hong joined the esteemed viola faculty at Bard College Conservatory of Music in Fall 2022. He has taught private lessons, public masterclasses, and chamber coachings on both violin and viola at George Mason University’s Reva and Sid Dewberry Family School of Music, Missouri State University, and the Juilliard School. He has also taught live virtual masterclasses for the Joven Camerata de El Salvador as well as the Edward Said National Conservatory of Palestine. Mr. Hong’s mission as a teacher is to provide thoughtful and well-rounded instruction to students that maximizes their musical inspiration while illuminating the technical steps needed to achieve repeatable results. Mr. Hong believes in bringing the unique qualities of each student to life, and in the right of every student to have a high-quality musical education regardless of socio-economic status.

Mr. Hong is a graduate of Juilliard’s Artist Diploma program under the guidance of Laurie Smukler and Catherine Cho. As a Fellow of Carnegie Hall’s Ensemble Connect, he performed and taught in a variety of venues in New York City and abroad, as well as maintaining a two-year teaching-artist partnership with Celia Cruz High School for Music in the Bronx. Mr. Hong also holds a Master’s degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Laurie Smukler and Li Lin and was awarded a prestigious Kovner Fellowship. Mr. Hong earned his Bachelor’s degree under Donald Weilerstein from the New England Conservatory of Music, where he was a member of three different honors ensembles and studied both classic and contemporary quartet repertoire with mentors including Laurence Lesser, Kim Kashkashian, Donald Weilerstein, and Lucy Chapman.

Mr. Hong is the Programming Director of Project: Music Heals Us, a nonprofit dedicated to providing musical education, access, and healing to marginalized populations with limited ability to access it themselves. He is also a Co-Artistic Director of NEXUS Chamber Music Chicago in Illinois, an artist-driven collective of musicians whose mission is to make classical music culturally relevant through live concerts and multimedia content. In his spare time, Mr. Hong can be found brewing espresso or single origin pour-overs at his home coffee bar.

CALEB VAN DER SWAAGH

Praised for his “entrancing” performances (National Sawdust Log), Caleb van der Swaagh is the cellist of the GRAMMY-nominated Aizuri Quartet. A versatile chamber musician and soloist, he is an alumnus of Ensemble ACJW (now known as Ensemble Connect) – a program of Carnegie Hall, The Juilliard School, and the Weill Music Institute in partnership with the New York City Department of Education. Caleb is the recipient of the Tanglewood Karl Zeise Memorial Cello Prize and the Manhattan School of Music Pablo Casals Award, and was also a grant recipient from the Virtu Foundation.

In demand as a chamber musician, Caleb is member of Exponential Ensemble, a mixed instrumentation chamber ensemble. He is a first prize winner in the SAVVY Chamber Competition and has performed with such ensembles as The Knights, A Far Cry, Orchestra of St. Lukes, Metropolis Ensemble, Ensemble LPR, and the Jupiter Symphony Chamber Players. Recent festival appearances include appearances at the Chelsea Music Festival, Ottawa ChamberFest, The Lake George Music Festival, Music from Montauk, 23Arts Summer Music Festival, Edelio Festival, and Birdfoot Festival. As a recording artist, Caleb’s recent releases include Against Method with counter)induction on New Focus Recordings and his extensive discography includes albums on Albany Records, Bright Shiny Things, Supertrain Records, Linn Records, and Avie Records among others.

An advocate of contemporary music, Caleb is a member of counter)induction, Ensemble Échappé, and Ensemble Ipse. He also performs regularly with leading contemporary music ensembles including Argento Chamber Ensemble, Talea Ensemble, Either/Or, S.E.M Ensemble, and Hotel Elefant. He has premiered works by such composers as Georg Friedrich Haas, Beat Furrer, Christian Wolff, Roscoe Mitchell, and Iancu Dumitrescu, among others, as well as performing his own compositions and arrangements.

A native New Yorker, Caleb graduated magna cum laude from Columbia University as part of the Columbia – Juilliard Exchange program with a degree in Classics and Medieval & Renaissance Studies. Caleb received his master’s degree with academic honors from New England Conservatory and later studied at the Manhattan School of Music. His primary teachers are Bonnie Hampton, Laurence Lesser, and David Geber. Caleb is the cello professor at the Conservatory of Music at SUNY Purchase College

Caleb plays on a cello made by David Wiebe in 2012.

https://www.calebvanderswaagh.com/bio