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The Alexander String Quartet Announces Its Final Season
Founded in New York City in 1981, the Alexander String Quartet established itself as one of the world’s premier ensembles after winning the 1982 Concert Artists Guild Competition and then becoming the first American quartet to win the Wigmore (then Portsmouth) International String Quartet Competition in 1985. After a remarkable 44-year tenure, Spring 2025 will…
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Announcing a new Chamber Music Festival with Crowden Music
The Alexander String Quartet and Crowden Music Center are proud to present an inaugural chamber music festival! The Festival features a chamber music intensive with local young chamber groups from around the Bay Area. To start the 3-day intensive of coaching, masterclasses, open rehearsals and performances, the ASQ will present a festival faculty concert on…
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The Alexander String Quartet Signs With Christina Daysog Concert Artists
The Alexander String Quartet is excited to be joining Christina Daysog Concert Artists for its North American management. Having just released the final volume in its series of Mozart’s Chamber Music, Mozart: String Quintets – Apotheosis, Vol. 3 with founding violist Paul Yarbrough, and just begun its season with new second violinist Yuna Lee, the…
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Announcing Apotheosis, Vol. 3: Mozart – The String Quintets
The Alexander String Quartet is thrilled to announce the continuation of a series of Mozart’s chamber music with Apotheosis, Vol. 3: Mozart – The String Quintets and ASQ’s founding violist Paul Yarbrough. This installment follows the 2018 and 2019 releases of the late string quartets and piano quartets (with Joyce Yang). Both recordings received critical…
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The Alexander String Quartet Announces New Member: Violinist Yuna Lee
As the Alexander String Quartet celebrates its 43rd Season, it welcomes a new member: violinist Yuna Lee. The foursome will then perform at San Francisco Performances’ Gala Concert on Friday, September 29, 2023, 7:00pm at Herbst Theatre, marking the Alexander String Quartet’s 35th Anniversary as the Ensemble-in-Residence with San Francisco Performances. Ms. Lee succeeds Fred Lifsitz, who…
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Remembering Francis Kuttner
We are profoundly saddened to share that violin maker Francis Kuttner, creator of the Ellen M. Egger quartet of instruments and a member of the ASQ family, passed away on June 3, 2023. As we struggle to wrap our heads around this abrupt parting, we are thinking of Francis’s wonderful and close family, as well as his many…
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Announcing “British Invasion”!
On April 7, 2023, the Alexander String Quartet and guitarist William Kanengiser release British Invasion on Foghorn Classics! British Invasion The Alexander String Quartet and guitarist William Kanengiser form a dynamic collaboration that explores the music of Sting, Led Zeppelin, John Dowland and The Beatles by way of contemporary composers Ian Krouse, Dušan Bogdanović and…
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The Whole Note Praises Brahms: String Quartets
The Whole Note Magazine’s Terry Robbins reviews the Alexander String Quartet’s recording of Brahms: String Quartets in their December 2021 issue: “Yarbrough notes that the ASQ took decades to feel ready to record these quartets, and they certainly get to the heart of the music in powerful performances of strength and depth in the String Quartets in…
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InfoDad gives Brahms String Quartets its Top Rating!
Review site InfoDad gives its top rating, 4-stars, to the Alexander String Quartet’s recording of Brahms: String Quartets: “The subtlety and mutuality of purpose with which the members of the Alexander String Quartet approach Brahms’ three quartets are almost a perfect example of the conversational form of music-making of which string quartets have been exemplars…
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Art Music Lounge Declares Brahms: String Quartets Recording “a stunning achievement”
The ASQ’s Brahms: String Quartets recording comes out November 5, 2021, and the Art Music Lounge‘s Lynn René Bayley has an early rave review: “It’s been quite a ride for the Alexander Quartet. From the first time I heard them, roughly 16 years ago, I was convinced that they were the premiere American string quartet…
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The Alexander String Quartet Celebrates 40 Years!
On August 4th 1981, 40 years ago today, the Alexander String Quartet performed its very first public concert as part of the Strawbery Banke Festival in Portsmouth, NH. The photo to the right features that original lineup. And why were we behind bars you might ask? The photo is from Nantucket in 1982. The Concord…
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Art Music Lounge Reviews Brahms & Mozart: Clarinet Quintets
August 14, 2020 brings the Alexander String Quartet and clarinetist Eli Eban’s Brahms & Mozart: Clarinet Quintets recording! Critic Lynn René Bayley has a pre-release review on her Art Music Lounge site: “[In the Mozart] They very properly use a light, quick vibrato, which is what string players of the 18th century actually did when…
