The Lawrence University Artist Series presents the Vermeer String Quartet at the Lawrence Memorial Chapel at 8:00 p.m. on Friday, April 27. Since the quartet’s formation in Marlboro, Australia in 1969, they have acquired international acclaim in the world of classical music performance. In 1970, they were appointed to the resident artist faculty of Northern Illinois University. They are also fellows of the Royal Northern College of Music in Manchester, England, where, since 1978, they have presented an annual master class.
The quartet frequently attends such prestigious festivals as Tanglewood, Berlin, Schleswig-Holstein, Edinburgh, and, for the past two decades, has been the featured ensemble at Maine’s Bay Chamber Concerts. Between such numerous international venues, the Vermeer String Quartet has been resident string quartet for Performing Arts Chicago since 1984.
The quartet’s recording history has been as impressive and diverse as their live performance experience, ranging from Shostakovitch and Bartok to Brahms and Mendelssohn, in addition to a complete collection of the string quartet works of Beethoven and Tchaikovsky. Their latest work, Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ,” has been praised not only for its technical perfection, but also its extreme musical sensitivity and grace.
The Vermeer String Quartet consists of Shmuel Ashkenasi (violin), Mathias Tacke (violin), Richard Young (viola), and Marc Johnson (cello). In addition to their performance Friday night, they will be favoring the Conservatory with two master classes at 10:00 a.m., Saturday, 28 April, in Shattuck Hall 156 and 163.