The legendary Tokyo String Quartet is on its final tour after 43 prestigious seasons and over a hundred concerts worldwide each season. One of the quartet’s last U.S. stops will be here in Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University’s W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday May 4 at 8 PM, in which they will perform pieces by historic composers, Beethoven, Bartók, and Mendelssohn. Dana McComb, Cellist and VCU Strings Faculty, raves that their music pieces are “hallmarks of the quartet literature,” especially Bartók’s ”Quartet No. 6”, which she describes a “exciting” and filled with “energy.”
The Tokyo String Quartet is regarded as one of the supreme chamber ensembles of the world. Formed officially in 1969 at the Juilliard School of Music, the group has collaborated with an array of artists, built up a comprehensive catalogue of acclaimed recordings (several Grammy-nominated), made appearances on numerous TV shows, and have educated young musicians across the globe. The current members include Martin Beaver and Kikuei Ikeda (violins), Kazuhide Isomura (Viola), and Clive Greensmith (Cello). “When you talk about string quartets, you don’t get much bigger than the Tokyo String Quartet,” says McComb, “They’re a fantastic group and to miss the opportunity to hear them live would be a shame.”
The Tokyo String Quartet performance is also part of VCU’s acknowledgement of National Chamber Music Month, sponsored by Chamber Music America. Along with performing on Saturday night, the quartet will be working with local strings students in master classes for VCU Music’s “Cellopalooza” and “Strings 360” programs during the day.
Tickets for this event are available at the VCU Music Box Office: by visiting vcumusic.showclix.com, emailing musictix@vcu.edu, or calling (804) 828-6776. Tickets are $34 for General Admission and $31 for VCU Faculty and Seniors. The concert takes place in the Sonia Vlahcevic Concert Hall in the W.E. Singleton Center for the Performing Arts, 922 Park Avenue, Richmond, VA
We’re told that the concert is selling out quick, so grab your tickets while they’re still available.