SOSU Musical Arts Series Presents the Biava String Quartet
Press Release Date: 04-23-2007
The Southeastern Oklahoma State University Musical Arts Series, in cooperation with the Red River Arts Council, will present the Biava String Quartet in concert at 7:30 p.m. Tuesday in the Fine Arts Recital Hall.
The program is sponsored in part by grants from the Oklahoma Arts Council and the Mid-America Arts Alliance, with support from the National Endowment for the Arts. The Biava Quartet will also make an appearance in the Durant Public Schools.
The concert is free of charge and the public is invited to attend.
The Quartet, winner of the 2003 Naumburg Chamber Music Award, is recognized as one of today’s outstanding young American groups. With an established and enthusiastic following in the United States and abroad, the Quartet captured top prizes at the 2005 Premio Paolo Borciana and 2003 London International String Quartet competitions, impressing multiple audiences with its sensitive artistry and communicative powers.
Members of the Quartet are violinists Austin Hartman and Hyunsu Ko, violist Mary Persin and cellist Jason Calloway. The group most recently served as graduate quartet in residence at Yale University.
Highlights of the group’s 2005-06 season included performances at the 25th Anniversary Rockport Chamber Music Festival, the Chautauqua Institute, New York’s Look and Listen Festival, Dumbarton Oaks in Washington, D.C., and the Swannanoa Chamber Music Festival as ensemble in residence.
This season will include the Chicago debut of Stacy Garropo’s Second String Quartet, “Demons and Angels.”
The Biava Quartet was founded in 1998 at the Cleveland Institute of Music. The members hold advanced degrees from the Juilliard School of Music, New England Conservatory of Music, University of Southern California and Yale University. The Quartet has performed at major music halls throughout the world.
The group’s name is taken from Maestro Luis Biava, who has been a mentor and inspiration since the Quartet’s inception.
Austin Hartman is a founding member of the Biava Quartet and has been featured in concerts and masterclasses around the world. He is committed to the performance of the solo violin repertoire.
Hyunsu Ko began her violin studies in her native South Korea at age four. She has won numerous competitions, including the grand prize at the Jeju-Korea Broadcasting System Music Competition.
Mary Persin is a founding member of the Biava Quartet and has distinguished herself with viola performances throughout the United States and abroad. She made her solo debut with the Pittsburg Symphony Orchestra in 1997.
James Calloway has performed throughout North America, the Caribbean, Europe and the Middle East as both solo cellist and chamber musician. He is also Artistic Director of X-band, a newly-formed ensemble based in Boston.
