--The Los Angeles Times
Inspired by the innovative American visual artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet continues to expand the boundaries of chamber music by performing both traditional quartet repertoire as well as partnering with innovative modern composers and performing works by emerging young musicians. The juxtaposition of old and new serves to foster a broad understanding of chamber music and continues to excite and surprise the group's fans. Praised for its "splendor and substance," (Alan Rich, LA Weekly) the Calder Quartet embarks on their upcoming performance schedule "fully prepared for the world stage" (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times).
The group began its 2007-08 season as the first quartet-in-residence and newest faculty members at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Downtown Los Angeles. The season is highlighted with numerous recordings including Christopher Rouse's String Quartet No. 1, String Quartet No. 2, and Compline to be released on the Koch label and a self-released album featuring the music of Thomas Ads, Mozart, and Ravel which Strings Magazine calls "an almost delirious display of rich coloration and complex textures." In addition, the Calder continues its relationship with the Carlsbad Music Festival, an alternative classical music festival in Southern California, which the group co-founded with composer Matt McBane. In 2007, the festival expanded to Los Angeles and featured the Calder performing with world-renowned clarinetist Evan Ziporyn and premiering a string quartet called Honey Flyers by Christine Southworth, founder of Ensemble Robot and winner of the Calder's commissioning competition. In 2008, the festival will continue to grow with additional San Diego-area concerts added as well as Los Angeles and Carlsbad concert dates.
This season's performance schedule includes the world premiere of Anton Batagov's quartet.ru at Wolf Trap in Virginia, and appearing with artists Gloria Cheng and Evan Ziporyn. The group is also slated to take part in a residency at Purdue University in addition to performing at Chamber Music Sedona, The Artist Series in Tallahassee, Florida, and Merkin Hall in New York.
Recent milestones for the Quartet include receiving their Artist Diplomas from The Juilliard School after serving for two years as Graduate Resident Quartet, debuting at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and performing the music of Terry Riley at the Los Angeles Philharmonic's Minimalist Jukebox festival in 2006. They continue to study with Riley throughout this season.
They have enjoyed debuts with the Washington Performing Arts Society's Kreeger String Series at the Kennedy Center, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA Live, San Francisco Performances, the Aspen Music Festival, and La Jolla Music Society's SummerFest and have recently been featured in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Orange County Register, Washington Post and San Diego Union Tribune. Radio appearances include performances and commentary on NPR's Performance Today, WQXR and WNYC in New York, WGBH in Boston, and KUSC in Los Angeles.
Formed at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Calder Quartet also studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and was part of the institution's first graduating class. The group has appeared with guest artists such as pianists Claude Frank, Menachem Pressler, and Anne-Marie McDermott, cellist and mentor Ronald Leonard, double-Grammy Award winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, flutist Ransom Wilson, harpist Nancy Allen, violinist Robert McDuffie, and mandolinist Mike Marshall.
