The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra presents the Parker Quartet at the
Capri Theater 7 p.m. Saturday, May 21. This is the final of three free chamber
music concerts the SPCO is presenting at the Capri this season. Click here to reserve
up to four free tickets. Seat assignments will be made on a first-come,
first-served basis at the Capri Theater ticket counter starting at 4:30 p.m.the
night of the concert.
This concert is made possible through a grant
from the Minnesota State Art Board through an appropriation by the Minnesota
State Legislature from the Minnesota arts and cultural heritage fund.
The Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has
rapidly distinguished itself as one of the preeminent ensembles of its
generation. The quartet began its professional touring career in 2002 and
garnered international acclaim in 2005, winning the Concert Artists Guild
Competition as well as the Grand Prix and Mozart Prize at the Bordeaux
International String Quartet Competition in France. In 2009, Chamber Music
America awarded the quartet the prestigious biennial Cleveland Quartet Award for
the 2009-2011 seasons.
In May 2010, The Parker Quartet finished their
second year as Quartet-in-Residence with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
(SPCO). The residency, which was the first of its kind for the SPCO, involved
individual instrument performances with the orchestra, chamber music
presentations, and a robust educational program with public schools through the
SPCO’s CONNECT program. During the 2009-2010 season, the quartet was also the
first-ever Artists-in-Residence with Minnesota Public Radio (MPR) and American
Public Media (APM). The residency included performance and interview broadcasts
on Performance Today and Classical FM radio, chamber concerts in St. Paul, and
regional concerts and educational residencies as part of MPR’s Troubadour
Concert Series throughout Minnesota and the surrounding states. These
experiences and activities were broadcast to MPR and APM listeners through video
and audio interviews, blogs, and interactive web technology. The residency also
included a national quartet competition organized by MPR and APM, culminating in
a master class and studio performance with the quartet in May 2010.
Click here to read more about the SPCO chamber music concerts at the Capri Theater.