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Each year a new quartet is chosen to perform at Caramoor as part of the Ernst C. Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence program. This year, the Ariel String Quartet is that group. The members of the Quartet include Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violins; Sergey Tarashchansky, viola and Amit Even-Tov, cello.
In addition to playing at Caramoor, the quartet reaches out to community through Caramoor's Student Strings program, thanks to the unique provisions of the Stiefel endowment. Dr. Ernst C. Stiefel (1908-1997) was a prominent New York City attorney affiliated with Coudert Brothers Law Firm. A native of Mannheim, Germany, Dr. Stiefel immigrated to the United States in 1939 and made it one of his life's missions to document and chronicle the contributions made to dozens of foreign legal systems by refugee Jewish lawyers. As an advisor to the Allied military government in Germany after World War II, he helped lay the legal groundwork for a system of restitution and reparation for Holocaust survivors living abroad. A music lover, he believed in encouraging the next generation of artists, and, after his death, trustees of the Ernst C. Stiefel Foundation designated funds to help advance the careers of young musicians. At the same time, by supporting Caramoor's Student Strings program, the Stiefel endowment benefits local middle and high school students.
The Ariel String Quartet is the tenth Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at Caramoor; previous quartets have been: the Escher String Quartet, the Avalon String Quartet, Miro String Quartet, Pacifica Quartet, Rossetti String Quartet, the Daedalus Quartet, the Amernet String Quartet, the Jupiter Quartet and the Parker String Quartet.
JULY 30
2008-09 Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence
Thursday, 7:30pm - Spanish Courtyard
Tickets: $25.00, $15.00 order online
| Mozart |
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Quartet in D Major, K. 499 (Hoffmeister) |
| Chendler |
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Quartet (Caramoor Commission and World Premiere) |
| Mendelssohn |
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Quartet in E minor, Op.44, No. 2 |
The quartet completes its residency with an exciting world premiere performance and two masterpieces from the quartet repertoire.
The young Ariel String Quartet is rapidly gaining the attention of the music world. Recent awards include First Prize at the International Competition Franz Schubert And The Music Of Modernity in Graz, Austria (2003), special prize for its performance of a Bartók quartet in addition to third prize at the 2007 Banff International String Quartet Competition (reviewing the competition for American Record Guide, Gil French described the Ariel as “a consummate ensemble gifted with utter musicality and remarkable interpretive power” and called their performance of Beethoven’s Quartet Op. 132 “the pinnacle of the competition.”), and Grand Prize at the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition (2006). The Ariel String Quartet has been chosen to be the next resident ensemble in New England Conservatory’s prestigious Professional String Quartet Training Program, and will begin the resdency in the fall of 2008.
The members of the Ariel Quartet (Alexandra Kazovsky and Gershon Gerchikov, violin; Sergey Tarashchansky, viola; Amit Even-Tov, cello) are just 22 and 23 years old, but in 2008 they will celebrate their 10th anniversary as a quartet. Formed in Jerusalem in 1998, they were coached by violinist Avi Abramovich at the Jerusalem Conservatory and the Jerusalem Academy of Music, and they were part of the Young Musicians Group of the Jerusalem Music Centre. Since 2004 they have pursued advanced study at the New England Conservatory with Paul Katz, Martha Strongin Katz and Kim Kashkashian. They have also participated in many festivals and workshops including Itzhak Perlman’s chamber music workshop, Steans Institute for Young Artists at Ravinia, Great Lakes Festival, Amadeus Summer Course, and ProQuartet. Itzhak Perlman has described them as “extraordinary,” and Paul Katz, cellist with the Cleveland Quartet, has stated that “I have never heard a quartet so young play this well.”
The Ariel Quartet has performed extensively in Israel, Europe, and North America, including such venues as the Musée du Louvre in Paris, Kaisersaal in Frankfurt (“a tour de force,” Frankfurter Allgemeine), the Washington Performing Arts Society, Neue Galerie in New York City, and Jordan Hall in Boston. Recent performances include the Corcoran Gallery and the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. In addition to performing the traditional quartet repertoire, the Ariel Quartet regularly collaborates with many Israeli and non-Israeli musicians and composers, including clarinettist Moran Katz, pianist Roman Rabinovich, the Jerusalem String Quartet, pianist Alexander Gavrylyuk, composer Matti Kovler, violist Roger Tapping, and the Zukerman Chamber players.
Reflecting its dedication to music education and community service, the Ariel String Quartet presents many outreach programs and special performances to a wide range of school and community groups, from kindergartens to homes for the elderly. The quartet received extensive scholarship support from the America Israel Cultural Foundation, Dov and Rachel Gottesman and the Legacy Heritage Fund, thanks to which they are able to graduate their Bachelors degrees this year.
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