The Alliance Française Toronto presents the debut concert for a new string quartet. Quatuor Alliance will perform by candlelight on January 19.
The quartet’s name was inspired by the organization and its ties to the musicians in the ensemble. The music and the environment are designed for an intimate experience.
Quatuor Alliance
The members of the quartet are experienced and award-winning musicians who have come together to perform for the occasion.
Canadian-Austrian violinist Mayumi Seiler is a noted musician, educator, and recording artist who performs on the 1684 Croall Stradivarius. She has carved out an international career as a performer who has appeared on stages from Vienna’s Musikverein to Carnegie Hall in NYC, London’s Wigmore Hall and Roy Thomson Hall in Toronto. She has collaborated with major organizations, institutions, and artists, such as the Berlin Symphony, Academy of St Martin in the Fields, conductors Kent Nagano and Peter Oundjian, and violinists Maxim Vengerov and Richard Tognetti, among many others. Mayumi currently teaches at the Glenn Gould School of Music.
Violinist Min-Jeong Koh studied at The Taylor Academy with Mayumi Seiler before earning her Bachelor of Music and Doctor of Musical Arts from the University of Toronto. The first violinist of the Cecilia Quartet was part of the First Prize win at the Banff International String Quartet competition. The ensemble also won 2nd Prize at the Osaka International Music Composition. With Cecilia, Min-Jeong has toured major international stages, and recorded a JUNO nominated album. She is also an educator on the faculty at the Glenn Gould School.
Violist Hezekiah Leung is a founding member of the Rolston Quartet, first prize winners a the 2016 Banff International String Quartet Competition. The ensemble went on to become the first international recipient of the Cleveland Quartet Award. He holds degrees from Rice University and The Royal Conservatory of Music, having studied viola with Stephen Dann and Barry Schiffman. He performs on a 2014 viola by Jürgen Manthey and a 2020 viola by Samuel Zygmuntowicz, on loan through the El Pasito Foundation.
Edmonton native Rachel Mercer began studying the cello at the tender age of three. She went on to become the grand prize winner at the 2001 Vriendenkrans Competition in Amsterdam. Today, Rachel is the Principal Cello of the National Arts Centre Orchestra in Ottawa, as well as an active chamber musician. She performs frequently with pianist duo partner Angela Park, as part of the JUNO Award-winning piano quartet Ensemble Made In Canada, as well as the AYR Trio and Aviv Quartet. She is a passionate advocate for new music, and has commissioned and premiered work by composers Stewart Goodyear, Kevin Lau, and others.
The Music
The program includes works that span the centuries and continents.
- Ravel’s String Quartet in F major
- Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 6 in B-flat major, Op. 18, No. 6
- Stefan Hintersteininger’s “The Growing Season”
Canadian composer Stefan Hintersteininger is based in Vancouver. He is also a cellist and arranger who works in multiple genres of music. Stefan has performed regularly with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, and is a founding member of the sextet Ethos Collective. He earned a Masters in cello performance from DePaul University in Chicago, and is largely self-taught as a composer. His works have premiered at the Louis Andriessen Festival, and the Tom Cone Opera Project, among other notable events, steadily gaining a reputation through performance by prominent Vancouver ensembles. Stefan also serves as the BC Head Librarian of the Canadian Music Centre in Vancouver,.
- More information about the January 19 performance [HERE].
NB: This piece was amended to correct the name of the violist, as the original performer was replaced due to illness.
Are you looking to promote an event? Have a news tip? Need to know the best events happening this weekend? Send us a note.
#LUDWIGVAN
Get the daily arts news straight to your inbox.
Sign up for the Ludwig Van Toronto e-Blast! — local classical music and opera news straight to your inbox HERE.
- INTERVIEW | Composer Ari Kinarthy And Director Jeff Lee Petry Talk About Ari’s Theme, Premiering At Hot Docs - April 26, 2024
- PREVIEW | Creators & Performers Natalya Gennadi And Kristine Dandavino Talk About Grandma’s Shawl - April 26, 2024
- PREVIEW | Artistic Director Emily Cheung Dives Into Little Pear Garden Dance Company’s History & 30th Anniversary Peformance - April 26, 2024
