DEBUSSY: String Quartet in g minor, op. 10

KURTÁG: 12 Microludes

BRAHMS: String Quartet no. 2 in a minor, op. 51, no. 2

Hailed by The New York Times as “something extraordinary,” the Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its generation. The quartet began its professional touring career in 2002 and garnered international acclaim in 2005, winning the Concert Artists Guild Competition as well as the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux International String Quartet Competition in France. In 2009, Chamber Music America awarded the quartet the prestigious biennial Cleveland Quartet Award for the 2009-2011 seasons.

In May 2010, The Parker Quartet finished their second year as Quartet-in-Residence with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). The residency, which was the first of its kind for the SPCO, involved individual instrument performances with the orchestra, chamber music presentations, and a robust educational program with public schools through the SPCO’s CONNECT program. During the 2009-2010 season, the quartet was also the first-ever Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American Public Media (APM). The residency included performance and interview broadcasts on Performance Today and Classical FM radio, chamber concerts in St. Paul, and regional concerts and educational residencies as part of MPR’s Troubadour Concert Series throughout Minnesota and the surrounding states. These experiences and activities were broadcast to MPR and APM listeners through video and audio interviews, blogs, and interactive web technology. The residency also included a national quartet competition organized by MPR and APM, culminating in a master class and studio performance with the quartet in May 2010.