Full Season Includes Concert With Menahem Pressler, New York Debut

The Chicago String Quartet in residence at DePaul University will embark on a full schedule of performances in Chicago and around the country during its 1997-98 season, including a New York debut at the famous 92nd Street Y.

The season features a four-concert subscription series at the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave., on Nov. 3, Dec. 8, March 30 and June 1. The highlight of the series will be an appearance by world-renowned pianist Menahem Pressler, co-founder of the famed Beaux Arts Trio, who will join the quartet in a performance of the Brahms Quintet in F Minor for Piano and Strings during the Dec. 8 concert. All concerts in the subscription series begin at 8 p.m. Tickets are available by calling (312) 922-1999.

The New York debut at the 92nd St. "Y", a leading New York cultural center, will take place Jan. 17. The group will premier the String Quartet No. 4 by renowned composer Richard Wilson and perform again with Pressler.

The quartet--first violin Joseph Genualdi, second violin Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Christopher Costanza-- is scheduled for 35 dates as a quartet and another 35 performances with The Chicago Chamber Musicians (CCM) this season. The quartet is the primary string contingency of the CCM.(more)

"The quartet continues to grow artistically and professionally," Hersh said. "We're honored to have the opportunity to play with Menahem Pressler and we're eager to share with the public Richard Wilson's latest quartet, which we commissioned with the help of the Chicago Chamber Musicians."

All four quartet members are full-time professors in the DePaul School of Music's string department, where their success has helped the school attract its largest incoming class of string players.

"We're excited to welcome this talented group of young string players to the school," said School of Music Dean Casey. "Their interest in studying with the members of the Chicago String Quartet reflects the ensemble's growing acclaim."

A handpicked ensemble, the quartet was founded by the school in the fall of 1995. Last year's first, four-concert subscription series earned high praise from critics and concert-goers.

DePaul's School of Music has been dedicated to excellence in music teaching and performance for 86 years. The school enrolls 400 undergraduate and graduate students based on academic and musical ability. Programs in performance, composition, music education, jazz studies, sound recording technology and music/business are offered by the school.

The school launched a computer web site in September. Located at http://music.depaul.edu , the site includes a calendar of events, performance biographies of faculty members and musical excerpts from their CDS that cyber-visitors can play.

For more information about the CSQ's New York debut, call Josephine Hemsing at (212) 772-1132. For information about The Chicago Chamber Musicians concerts, call (312) 342-5226)

Nov. 3: The Chicago String Quartet, in residence at DePaul University, will perform the first of a four-concert 1997-98 subscription series. First violin Joseph Genualdi, second violin Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Christopher Costanza will perform Beethoven's Quartet No. 2 in G major, Op. 18, No. 2; Dmitri Shostakovich's Quartet No. 8 in C minor, Op. 110; Mendelssohn's Quartet No. 4 in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2. The remaining concerts in the series will take place Dec. 8, Mar 30 and June 1. World-renowned pianist Menahem Pressler will perform with the CSQ at the December concert. All performances begin at 8 p.m. in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Proceeds benefit the DePaul School of Music Scholarship Fund. Subscription tickets for all four concerts are $75 per person. Single concert tickets are $25 per person. Student and senior discounts available. For tickets, call (312) 922-1999.

Dec. 8: The Chicago String Quartet, in residence at DePaul University, will perform the second of a four-concert series at DePaul. World-renowned pianist Menahem Pressler, co-founder of the famed Beaux Arts Trio, will join the quartet in a performance of the Brahms Quintet in F Minor for Piano and Strings. The quartet -- first violin Joseph Genualdi, second violin Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Christopher Costanza -- also will perform Haydn's Quartet in E-Flat major, Op. 33, No. 2, "Joke," and Béla Bartók's Quartet No. 2, Op. 17. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Call for information about subscription ticket discounts for this concert and the remaining concerts in the series on March 30 and June 1. Single concert tickets are $25 per person. Students and senior discounts available. Proceeds benefit the DePaul School of Music Scholarship Fund. For tickets, call (312) 922-1999.

March 30, 1998: The Chicago String Quartet, in residence at DePaul University, performs its third concert in a four-concert series at DePaul. Fresh from its New York debut, the quartet -- first violin Joseph Genualdi, second violin Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Christopher Costanza -- will perform a program including Leos Janacek's Quartet No. 2, "Intimate Letters" and Mozart's Quartet No. 15 in D minor, K.421. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Call for information about subscription ticket discounts for this performance and the last concert in the series on June 1. Single concert tickets are $25 per person. Discounts available for students and seniors. Proceeds benefit the DePaul School of Music Scholarship Fund. For tickets, call (312) 922-1999.

June 1, 1998: The Chicago String Quartet, in residence at DePaul University, will perform the final concert of a four-concert series at DePaul. The quartet -- first violin Joseph Genualdi, second violin Stefan Hersh, violist Rami Solomonow and cellist Christopher Costanza -- will perform Schubert's Quartet No. 12 in C minor, D.703, "Quartettsatz;" Arnold Schoenberg's Quartet No. 3, Op. 30; Beethoven's Quartet No. 8 in E minor, Op. 59, No 2. Tickets are $25. The concert begins at 8 p.m. in the DePaul Concert Hall, 800 W. Belden Ave. Students and seniors are eligible for discounts. Proceeds benefit the DePaul School of Music Scholarship Fund. For ticket information, please call (312) 922-1999.