The Emerson String Quartet performs on Tuesday, April 28 at 7:30 p.m. in
Emerson String Quartet
Memorial Chapel as part of the Union College Concert Series.
The quartet closes the 2014-15 season with a special performance for Director Emeritus Daniel Berkenblit’s 85th birthday. The program begins with two Fantasias by Baroque master Henry Purcell and is followed by Benjamin Britten’s Quartet No. 2 which references a Chacony of Purcell. The program closes with selections from Bach’s timeless Art of Fugue. There is a free reception for the entire audience at the Nott Memorial to celebrate Berkenblit.
A retired pathologist, Berkenblit ran the series as a volunteer for 40 years until his retirement in May 2012. Over that time, he brought countless leading international musicians and ensembles to Schenectady who would not otherwise be available in the Capital Region. Generously offering his time and energy, he worked tirelessly to offer these concerts at affordable prices so people from all walks of life could enjoy great music.
The Emerson String Quartet stands alone among string quartets with a long list of achievements over three decades: more than thirty recordings since 1987, nine Grammy Awards (including an unprecedented two for Best Classical Album), three Gramophone Awards, and the prestigious Avery Fisher Prize - a first for a chamber ensemble. The quartet has performed cycles of the complete Beethoven, Bartók, Mendelssohn and Shostakovich string quartets in the world’s musical capitals, from New York to London and Vienna. Formed in 1976, the Quartet took its name from the poet and philosopher Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Individual tickets are $40 or $10 for students. For information, call (518) 388-6080 or click here.