Hakan Rosengren and Chiara String Quartet Close out Wooster Chamber Series

Final concert of the season to be held Sunday, May 4, in Gault Recital Hall of Scheide Music Center

Hakan Rosengren

WOOSTER, Ohio - Swedish clarinetist Hakan Rosengren will team with the internationally acclaimed Chiara String Quartet for the final Wooster Chamber Music Series performance of the season on Sunday, May 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 feature Brahms' Quintet in b for clarinet and strings, Op. 115, and Mozart's Quintet in A for clarinet and strings, K. 581. 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.).

Rosengren has appeared as concert soloist and in chamber and recital halls across Europe, the United States, Israel, and Asia. His performances have received critical acclaim, including a review in the Cleveland Plain Dealer, which said, "so effortless was the artistry that Rosengren...seemed to enjoy performing the concert as much as the crowd loved listening to it."

The Chiara is committed to bringing chamber music to an ever-expanding audience. This past fall, the group brought its "no-holds barred approach" (The Strad) to new audiences in clubs across the United States.

"We want to reach some audiences that have not yet been reached - people who are our age and maybe have never heard chamber music before because they haven't had the opportunity or are put off by the formality of traditional concert halls," said violist Jonah Sirota. Chiara's versatility and talent has enabled the Quartet to seamlessly move from old school classical (Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms) to 20th Century Music (Hindemith, Bartok) and even a cover of pop music star Prince.

In addition to Sirota, the group consists of Gregory Beaver (cello), Rebecca Fischer (violin), and Julie Yoon (violin). All were trained at The Juilliard School of music, and according to The Washington Post, "Each young artist marries a nimble technique to eager-to-please intensity and unhackneyed joy."

In 2007, Chiara released a recording with Rosengren of the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets on the Round Top Records label. He has also collaborated with David Finckel who performed in the Wooster Chamber Music Series in February.

Additional information about the Wooster Chamber Music Series' season-ending concert is available by phone (330-263-2115) or e-mail (imatson@wooster.edu).