Cuarteto Casals, Music con Brio

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Marc Campa

Cuarteto Casals

This magnificent string ensemble is the quartet-in-residence at the Royal Palace in Madrid. With Music Con Brio; also, pre-concert lecture by Carol Carlson, 6 pm.

press release: The Wisconsin Union Theater welcomes Cuarteto Casals on Friday, March 1, 2019, at 7:30pm in Shannon Hall. Prices for the event are as follows: General Public are $25-$40, Union Members are $25-$36, UW Faculty/Staff are $25-$38, Youth are $20, and UW-Madison students are $10. Tickets may be bought online, by phone at 608-265-ARTS (2787) or in person, see locations and hours here.

The program includes the Quartet in C Major, op. 33, no. 3 ("The Bird), Haydn; Quartet No. 3,  Bartók; Fantasies for String Quartet (selected works), Purcell; and Quartet in G Minor, op. 10, Debussy.

Cuarteto Casals was founded in 1997 at the Escuela Reina Sofía in Madrid. They are named after great 20^th century cellist Pau Casals. Members are Vera Martínez Mehner on violin, Abel Tomàs on violin, Jonathan Brown on viola, and Arnau Tomàs on cello.

They achieved international recognition after winning First Prizes at London and Brahms-Hamburg competitions. After receiving the prestigious Burletti-Buitoni Trust award designed to assist young musicians, the quartet acquired a matching set of Baroque and Classical period bows, used to distinguish between musical styles.

The year 2017 marked the 20^th anniversary of the quartet, and also the start of a commemorative project: a six-concert series of the complete Beethoven quartets, accompanied by six commissioned works from great composers since the 17^th century.

The quartet was selected as ambassadors of Catalan culture by the Generalitat of Catalunya, and they accompanying the King of Spain on diplomatic visits. They are the quartet in residence in the Spanish Royal Palace through 2020 and the quartet in residence at the Escola Superior de Musica de Catalunya in Barcelona.

The schedule for the Concert Series’ 2019-2020 season, the series’ 100th Season, will be announced at the concert.

Carol Carlson will offer a free pre-concert lecture at 6pm. Carol holds doctor of musical arts and master of music degrees in violin performance from UW-Madison. She dedicates herself to music education as co-founder, co-director, and teacher of Music con Brio, a non-profit organization that provides affordable violin lessons and equipment for students at Emerson Elementary School in Madison. Music con Brio will perform on the Shannon stage from 7-7:20 pm.

The concert is presented by the Wisconsin Union Theater’s Performing Arts. This program was supported in part by a grant from the Wisconsin Arts Board with funds from the State of Wisconsin and the National Endowment for the Arts. Media sponsor is WORT, 89.9 FM.