Balourdet Quartet
Angela Bae and Justin DeFilippis, violins
Benjamin Zannoni, viola
Russell Houston, cello
May 11, 2022
Dame Myra Hess Concerts
Dave Schwan, host
Program:
Jessie Montgomery (b. 1981) – Strum (2006;rev. 2012) (8’)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918) – String Quartet in G minor, Op. 10 (1893) (28’)
I. Animé et très décidé
II. Assez vif et bien rythmé
III. Andantino, doucement expressif
IV. Très modéré
The Balourdet Quartet, based in Boston, Massachusetts, is currently in residence at the New England Conservatory’s Professional String Quartet Program. The quartet received the Grand Prize at the 2021 Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition as well as the top prize awarded in the 2021 Premio Paolo Borciani in Reggio Emilia, Italy. The group also received the Gold Medal in the 2020 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the Gold Medal and Audience Award at the 2021 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition, and the Second Prize in the 2019 Carl Nielsen International Chamber Music Competition.
Highlights of the 2021-2022 season include the Nevada Chamber Music Festival, ProMusica San Miguel de Allende, an in-person return to the Schneider Concert Series, and a recital in NEC’s Jordan Hall. During the summer, the group will perform in series including Music Mountain and Bravo! Vail, as well as a three-day residency at Green Mountain Chamber Music Festival in Burlington, VT. During the 2022-2023 season the quartet is thrilled to premiere a new work they commissioned by Karim Al-Zand, made possible through Chamber Music America’s Classical Commissioning Grant.
The Balourdet has shared the stage with renowned artists including Cho-Liang Lin, as well as members of the Dover Quartet. It has performed at festivals including La Jolla Music Society Summerfest, Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and Accademia Musicale Chigiana. The Balourdet Quartet works primarily with Paul Katz at the New England Conservatory, as well as Miriam Fried and members of the Cleveland and Borromeo Quartets. The quartet was formed in 2018 at Rice University in Houston, Texas under the tutelage of James Dunham, Norman Fischer, and Cho-Liang Lin.
The Balourdet Quartet gets its name from Antoine Balourdet, chef extraordinaire at the Hotel St. Bernard and beloved member of the Taos School of Music community.
Read program notes here
Don’t miss pianist Zhenni Li-Cohen
next week on the
Dame Myra Hess Memorial Concerts!
Wednesday May 18, 12:15pm
