The UCalgary String Quartet

The UCalgary String Quartet

From Klezmer music to Beethoven: music that speaks to all audiences!

The UCalgary String Quartet has recently been selected as Nominee Finalists for the Instrumental Group of the Year award – 2008 Canadian Folk Music Awards. The nominated recording, on the American label MSR Classics, is titled Far Behind I Left My Country – Klezmer and East European Folk Music – Arranged and Composed by Edmond Agopian. “...lively, vibrant music…a very attractive compilation disc.”– The Calgary Herald
The quartet has performed nationally and internationally and has been recorded by CBC Radio for regional and national broadcasts, Radio Europa, and the National Radio of Portugal. It has collaborated with many distinguished artists, such as Anton Kuerti, pianist. The original cellist of the quartet was the pre-eminent Canadian cellist, Amanda Forsyth.
The quartet’s repertoire covers a wide spectrum of music and the members of the quartet have had a broad range of performing experiences, including performances at folk music festivals, and dance/music productions. As the resident string quartet at the University of Calgary, it has commissioned and premiered works by U of C Composition faculty, graduate students and alumni. Presently, the quartet is in the process of performing and recording the entire Beethoven string quartet cycle. Starting in 2009, the quartet will mark the bicentennial anniversaries of Mendelssohn and Haydn, with a series of concerts on the U of C Celebrity Series.
The UCalgary String Quartet is supported by the John Lee Roberts Distinguished Professorship in Fine Arts award.