Description
Inspired by the interplay of light and darkness, ***Chiaroscuro,*** the new program of world renowned New York–based string quartet **Brooklyn Rider** is another testament to the ensemble’s adventurous spirit in combining the well-known with the unusual. Works by Galina Ustvolskaya and György Ligeti create a stark contrast with Hildegard von Bingen’s 1000-year-old antiphon Caritas abundat in omnia (Love abounds in everything), which serves as a prelude to Schubert’s great G-major Quartet, a masterwork of musical chiaroscuro. **“A string quartet of boundless imagination.” —NPR** **Brooklyn Rider** is a radically innovative string quartet that reimagines the centuries-old chamber music format for the 21st century. Known for breaking genre boundaries, they effortlessly blend classical music with world, jazz, and folk, frequently collaborating with a diverse roster of global artists. Celebrating twenty years of musical exploration, Brooklyn Rider originated in a living room, four friends in search of an outlet for their curiosities. Inspired by the probing spirit of Germany’s pre-WW1 artistic collective Der Blaue Reiter, they recognized parallels with their creative community in Brooklyn at the time and began to build projects. In the following two decades, Brooklyn Rider has undertaken a staggering amount of work, carving a singular space in the world of string quartets. Through thoughtful programmatic framing, deep-rooted collaborations, and innovative commissioning projects, Brooklyn Rider has used the medium at every point in their adventurous journey as a vehicle for exploration and discovery. Inspired equally by the rich repertoire of the past and the limitless canvas of new creation, Brooklyn Rider seeks to create meaningful and memorable experiences for their audiences. The quartet has made regular appearances in many of the major musical centers of North America, Europe, Asia, and Australia - from Zurich’s Tonhalle, Carnegie Hall, the Pierre Boulez Saal in Berlin, the Sydney Opera House, the National Centre for Performing Arts in Beijing, and London’s Wigmore Hall. Comfortable in a wide range of performance outlets, they have also appeared on the main stage of the Telluride Bluegrass Festival, at Austin’s South by Southwest Music Festival, and in two NPR Tiny Desk Concerts. Audiences across the Netherlands saw Brooklyn Rider in a collaborative program with the Amsterdam Sinfonietta and The Tallest Man on Earth in 2024. Brooklyn Rider has been the long-standing resident string quartet of the Vail Dance Festival, collaborating with many of the finest dancers and choreographers of our time. They have also been privileged to use the balming powers of music at deeply challenging moments along the way. The quartet made a special appearance at a Buddhist Temple in the decimated fishing village of Kesennuma, Japan in the months following the devastating 2011 tsunami. Most recently, Brooklyn Rider played an all-Glass concert at the Wallis Annenberg Center in Beverly Hills in the midst of the 2025 Los Angeles area fires. Brooklyn Rider has remained steadfast in their commitment to generate new music for string quartet at every phase of their history. Through commissioning, collaborative exploration, and the inimitable works of BR’s own Colin Jacobsen, the quartet has left a lasting contribution to the repertoire. The upcoming season will unveil a new program called Citizenship Notes with commissioned works by Don Byron, Ted Hearne, and Angélica Negrón. In 2017, Brooklyn Rider released Spontaneous Symbols (In a Circle Records), featuring new works for Brooklyn Rider by Tyondai Braxton, Evan Ziporyn, Paula Matthusen, Kyle Sanna, and Colin Jacobsen. For their tenth anniversary in 2015-16, they celebrated with the groundbreaking multi-disciplinary project The Brooklyn Rider Almanac, for which it recorded and toured fifteen commissioned works by musicians from the folk, jazz, and indie rock worlds. A recent second book of the BR Almanac includes works by Clarice Assad, Gabriel Kahane, Giovanni Sollima, Tyshawn Sorey. The quartet has also enjoyed relationships with composers John Luther Adams, Reena Esmail, Osvaldo Golijov, Philip Glass, Matana Roberts, Caroline Shaw, Du Yun, John Zorn, to mention a few. Numerous other collaborations have helped give rise to NPR Music’s observation that Brooklyn Rider is “recreating the 300-year-old form of string quartet as a vital and creative 21st-century ensemble.” Since its inception, Brooklyn Rider has maintained a careful balance between the activities of the string quartet and the individual artistic lives of its members. **Violinist** **Johnny Gandelsman**, a 2024 MacArthur Fellow, maintains a busy musical life between solo projects and his work as founder and producer for In A Circle Records, which has released his three highly celebrated solo albums, numerous soundtracks for documentary film maker Ken Burns, and many of Brooklyn Rider’s key releases over the years. **Violinist Colin Jacobsen** - an Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient - is a noted composer and arranger, and together with his brother Eric (Brooklyn Rider’s founding cellist) is Co-Artistic Director of the omnivorous orchestral collective The Knights. He is also the Artistic Director of Santa Fe Pro Musica. **Violist Nicholas Cords** is on the full-time faculty of New England Conservatory where he maintains a busy viola studio, coaches chamber music, and teaches a course on the early recorded history of string playing. He was formerly Co-Artistic Director of Silkroad. **Cellist Michael Nicolas** is a valued member of the International Contemporary Ensemble, a long-time collaborator with the iconic musician John Zorn, and former Associate Principal Cello of the Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal. He serves on the faculty of Mannes School of Music at the New School. Program Galina Ustvolskaya: Twelve Preludes for Piano (Selection) Arrangement for String Quartet by Brooklyn Rider György Ligeti: String Quartet No. 1 "Métamorphoses nocturnes" Hildegard von Bingen: Caritas abundat in omnia Arrangement for String Quartet by Brooklyn Rider Franz Schubert: String Quartet in G major D 887 \--------- **VIDEO https://youtu.be/rqG_Pl53pTw?si=jHzxmg5La2gp0xcg** Beer, wine, sake, food, snacks, refreshments are available If you require ADA access, please let us know 24 hours in advance by emailing: [email protected] \--- FAQ on tickets, seating, students, photography/video, parking, ADA and more can be found at TheLocalSaugerties.com