- This event has passed.
Thalea String Quartet
Sunday April 11, 2021 @ 3:00pm - April 13
$15, $30, $45 / Members Free
Spring Subscription / View all 8 Spring Livestreams for $80
Watch Now! Reserve Now 
Add To Calendar Overview
Sunday April 11, 2021 @ 3:00pm – April 13
Formed in 2014 at the Zephyr International Chamber Music Festival in Courmayeur, Italy, the Thalea String Quartet has been praised for their “vibrant performance” and “sincere expressivity” (SF Classical Voice). Alumni of Caramoor’s Ernst Steifel Quartet-in-Residence 2019-20 season, the Thalea Quartet returns to present a uniquely diverse program featuring works by four composers of today, including a Caramoor-commissioned world premiere.
Preceding the concert, on March 28, Paola Prestini joins renowned London-based author Sonu Shamdasani (who edited the first publication of Carl Jung’s major work: Liber Novus, The Red Book) to discuss the inspirations behind her new quartet.
Immediately following the concert, there will be a Q&A with the Thalea String Quartet and composer Paola Prestini, with an opportunity for the audience at home to ask questions; moderated by Caramoor’s Artistic Director, Kathy Schuman.
Artists
Thalea String Quartet
Christopher Whitley, violin
Kumiko Sakamoto, violin
Luis Bellorín, viola
Titilayo Ayangade, cello
Program
Daniel Bernard Roumain / “I made up my mind not to move.” from String Quartet No. 5 (“Parks”)
Jessie Montgomery / Source Code
Tanya Tagaq / Sivunittinni (arr. Jacob Garchik)
Paola Prestini / The Red Book (World Premiere, Commissioned by Caramoor)
Learn More About the Artists
Thalea String Quartet
The Thalea String Quartet brings together artists of Nigerian, Venezuelan, Japanese, and Canadian heritage. With repertoire as diverse as its members, and every bit as exuberant, Thalea connects with audiences on a musical, emotional and personal level, from first-time listeners to chamber music aficionados.
Top prize-winners at both the 2018 Fischoff and Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competitions, Thalea was founded in 2014 and made its U.S. début at the Kennedy Center in 2016. They have since performed across North America and in Italy, France, Belgium, and China, and were chosen by Canada’s Début Atlantic to give a two-week tour of eastern Canada in 2020-21.
Thalea was honored to be the Ernst Stiefel String Quartet-in-Residence at Caramoor in 2019-20, joining an elite roster of quartets who have held this esteemed position. Caramoor commissioned Paola Prestini to write a work for them during their residency, but the premiere was postponed due to COVID-19 until today.
Thalea co-commissioned, with pianist Michelle Cann, a chamber version of the Piano Concerto by Florence Price, contributing to the resurgence of interest in this neglected African-American composer. They performed the work with great success at Caramoor and on a tour of the West Coast.
Beginning August 2020, Thalea has been in residence at University of Maryland as the Graduate Fellowship Quartet. For the previous two years, they were the Young Professional Quartet-in-Residence at the University of Texas-Austin’s Butler School of Music, and prior to that they were the inaugural Quartet-in-Residence at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Thalea has shared the stage with the Borromeo Quartet in the Mendelssohn Octet, with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer/vocalist Caroline Shaw, with Geoff Nuttall of the St. Lawrence String Quartet, and with pianist Tao Lin.
Thalea participated in the 2017 Kronos Festival and have been Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel Associated Artists under the mentorship of the Artemis Quartet. Other mentors include the Miró Quartet and members of the Juilliard, Kronos, Takács, Pacifica and Danish String Quartets. During multiple residencies at the Banff Centre they worked with Gilbert Kalish, Mark Steinberg, Alasdair Tait and the JACK and Miró Quartets.
Individual members also perform jazz, compose for interactive visual art, sing in choirs, dance ballet, and occasionally act on a hit TV show.
“Thalea never failed to deliver a stirring performance…”
– Calgary Herald
“Just when I thought our society was falling apart, along came the Thalea Quartet’s vivid, expansive performances! Their beautifully textured sound is enveloped by thrilling individual brilliance and highlighted by a rare, magnetic quartet sense emanating from every note they play. Hearing them makes me feel very happy and gives me hope for the future. They are great ambassadors for music.“
— David Harrington, Kronos Quartet
Livestream Access
The livestream will be available to view for 48 hours. This concert begins at 3:00pmEST.
Questions? We have a livestream guide prepared specifically for our Caramoor Members, and another guide for the general public. Following this guide will hopefully answer all of your questions, so you can sit back, relax, and enjoy the show! Contact the Box Office at 914.232.1252 or boxoffice@caramoor.org.
Forgot your password? If you cannot remember your password, you can reset your password, or our Box Office will be able to assist you with your log-in credentials.
All artists and dates are subject to change and cancellation without notice as we work closely with local health experts and officials. Please note that all performances and livestreams at Caramoor are in compliance with current New York State Regulations.
We would like to thank our media partners for their support:
