The Dover Quartet at WAC, Nov. 8

The Dover Quartet, hailed as “The young American string quartet of the moment,” by The New Yorker, will perform at the Westport Arts Center on November 8th at 3pm.

The group, comprised of four young musicians, is considered one of the most remarkably talented string quartets ever to emerge at such a young age and is quickly gaining accolades from their world wide performances. The Strad raved that the Quartet is “already pulling away from their peers with their exceptional interpretive maturity, tonal refinement and taut ensemble.” The Quartet will perform music by Haydn, Beethoven, and major Finnish composer Kaija Saariaho.

"I'm thrilled to host the first Westport appearance of the Dover Quartet," said the Westport Arts Center’s Curator for Chamber Music, Russell Platt. "I'd heard all the great buzz about them last season, but this summer I took the opportunity to hear them live at New York's Tannery Pond Concerts, and I can honestly say that the excitement is justified: this group plays with a technical assurance and a firm sense of style that ranges beyond their years. They are poised to become one of the leading American string quartets."

On the repertory, Platt maintains that "we'll continue our long love affairs with Haydn and Beethoven, of course, but we'll also take the opportunity to feature a deeply thoughtful work, 'Terra Memoria,' by one of the world's major composers, the Paris-based Finnish master Kaija Saariaho.

"The Dover Quartet takes inspiration from both the Vermeer and Guarneri Quartets, but brings their own youthful interpretation to the repertoire. The Quartet is made up of violinists Joel Link and Bryan Lee, violists Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt, and cellist Camden Shaw. The quartet formed in 2008, when the members were only 19 years old. Individually, they have amassed a significant number of top prize awards including the Johansen International Competition, the Stulberg International String Competition, and the Lionel Tertis International Viola Competition.

Together, the Quartet swept the 2013 Banff International String Quartet competition, winning not only the Grand Prize as well as all three special prizes: the R.S. Williams & Sons Haydn Prize for the best performance of Schubert, and the Canadian Commission Prize for the best performance of a newly commissioned work, and the Székely Prize, for the best performance of a Schubert quartet. They are also dedicated to sharing their music with underserved communities and are an active member of Music for Food, an initiative to help musicians fight hunger in their home communities. 

Tickets to the concert are $30/ $25 for Members of the Westport Arts Center and $10 for students. A limited number of discounted Senior tickets will be available for presale at the Westport Center for Senior Activities, 21 Imperial Avenue, Westport. Tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at www.westportartscenter.org, 203-222-7070, or at the door 30 minutes prior to the concert.

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Submitted by Fairfield, CT

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