American String Quartet Debuts with the Wooster Chamber Music Series

The American String Quartet will perform Nov. 4 in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center as part of the Wooster Chamber Music Series.

WOOSTER, Ohio - The American String Quartet, internationally recognized as one of the world's finest ensembles, will make its debut with the Wooster Chamber Music Series on Sunday, Nov. 4. The concert begins at 3 p.m., in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center (525 E. University St.) on the campus of The College of Wooster. The program will consist of Haydn's Quartet in E-flat, Op. 76, No. 6, Berg's Quartet Op. 3, and Schubert's Quartet in G major, D. 887. Admission is $10 for general seating and $8 for students and senior citizens. Tickets are available at the Wilson Bookstore in Lowry Center (1189 Beall Ave.) and at Maurer Pharmacy (1827 Cleveland Rd.).

Formed in 1974, the American String Quartet has performed in all 50 states as well as major concert halls around the globe. The Quartet's diverse activities have included international radio and television broadcasts and performances with the New York City Ballet, the Montreal Symphony, and the Philadelphia Orchestra. The American has been featured numerous times on Minnesota Public Radio's "St Paul Sunday Morning" and National Public Radio's "All Things Considered."

With more than 30 years of performance experience, the group has assembled an extensive discography on several labels. The Quartet celebrated its 30th anniversary by launching a series of discs of the Complete Brahms String Chamber Music during the 2005-2006 season. Currently, the American is resident quartet at both the Aspen Music Festival (since 1974) and the Manhattan School of Music in New York (since 1984).

The group features violinist Peter Winograd, who continues to appear as a soloist in the U.S. and internationally; violinist Laurie Carney, who began her professional music career at the age of 8 when she became the youngest violinist ever admitted to the Preparatory Division of the Julliard School and is currently a professor of violin at the Manhattan School of Music; Daniel Avshalomov (viola), who also is a Juilliard alumnus and fellow faculty member at the Manhattan School as well as a founding member of the Orpheus Chamber Ensemble; and Wolfram Koessel (cello), who is currently the artistic director of "Sundays on the Island," a weekly chamber music series. He has collaborated with a wide range of artists, including cellist Yo-Yo Ma and distinguished dancer Mikhail Baryshnikov.

For additional information about the American String Quartet's concert, phone 330-263-2115. The next Wooster Chamber Music Series concert will take place on Jan. 20, when the Wihan Quartet performs in Scheide Music Center.