Press Release

October 16, 2023

For Immediate Release

Cassatt String Quartet November/December preview:

Concerts in Ossining, NYC, and West Hartford

Performances with Israeli-American trombonist Haim Avistur; pianists Doris Stevenson & Magdalena Baczewka

Fresh from the world premiere of Adolphus Hailstork's Monuments for trombone and string quartet in Texas, the Cassatt String Quartet brings the work to the Northeast for performances in Ossining, NY (November 11 at Bethany Arts Community) and the Mandell JCC in West Hartford, CT (November 16). Monuments is a profound tribute to 9/11, and features Israeli-American trombonist Haim Avistur. The work is performed alongside music by Victoria Bond, Beethoven, and Joan Tower.

Trombonist Haim Avistur

While in Hartford, the Cassatts give a masterclass at the Hartt School of Music on November 17 at 10 am.

The quartet returns to Columbia University for a residency that culminates in a performance on November 30 with pianist Magdalena Stern-Baczewska. The program, presented by The Italian Academy at Columbia University, features works by Beethoven, Pultizer-prize winner Zhou Long, and Shostakovich. Reserve free tickets here.

Pianist Magdalena Baczewska

On December 3, the Cassatt String Quartet performs the world premiere of a piano quintet by Allen Shawn. They are joined by pianist Doris Stevenson, performing the work in a program that also features music by Zhou Long and Dorothy Rudd Moore.

Pianist Doris Stevenson

October 29 at 3 pm, Wagner Noël PAC (Midland, TX): World premiere by Adolphus Hailstork, plus music by L.V. Beethoven, Joan Tower, Zhou Long, Burleigh, Candillari, and Fanny Mendelssohn with guest artists pianist Shari Santorelli and trombonist David Jackson. Part of the Cassatt in the Basin residency in West Texas.

November 11 at 5 pm, Bethany Arts Community (Ossining, NY): Trombonist Haim Avistur joins the quartet for works by Joan Tower and Adolphus Hailstork, plus string quartets by Beethoven and Victoria Bond.

November 16 at 7 pm, Mandell JCC (West Hartford, CT): Works by Victoria Bond and L.V. Beethoven, plus music for trombone and string quartet by Joan Tower and Adolphus Hailstork with guest artist Haim Avistur.

November 17 at 10 am, Hartt School of Music (West Hartford, CT): Masterclass with students from the Hartt School of Music, open to the public.

November 19 at 5 pm, Hudson View Gardens (New York, NY): Works by Victoria Bond, L.V. Beethoven, and Fanny Mendelssohn Hensel.

November 30 at 7 pm, Italian Academy at Columbia University (New York, NY): Culmination of residency at Columbia University. Works by Beethoven, Zhou Long, and Shostakovich's Piano Quintet with pianist Magdalena Stern-Baczewska.

December 3 at 4 pm, Bargemusic (Brooklyn, NY): World premiere of Allen Shawn's Piano Quintet with pianist Doris Stevenson, plus works by Dorothy Rudd Moore and Zhou Long. 

December 10 at 4:45 pm, Music at the Mansion (Ridgefield, CT): Works by Beethoven, Victoria Bond, and Fanny Mendelssohn. Preceded by a wine and cheese reception at 4pm.

Hailed for its “mighty rapport and relentless commitment,” the New York City-based Cassatt String Quartet has performed throughout the world for nearly four decades, with appearances at Alice Tully Hall and Weill Recital Hall; Tanglewood Music Center; the Kennedy Center; Théâtre des Champs-Élysées; Centro National de las Artes; Maeda Hall; and Beijing’s Central Conservatory. The Quartet’s prolific discography – featured three times in Alex Ross’s “10 Best Classical Recordings” column in The New Yorker – includes over forty recordings, for the Koch, Naxos, New World, Point, CRI, Tzadik, and Albany labels.

The Cassatt Quartet’s 2023-2024 season includes performances and recordings of works by Tania León, Adolphus Hailstork, Chen Yi, Joan Tower, Zhou Long, and Daniel S. Godfrey; their annual residencies at the Seal Bay Festival in Maine and Cassatt in the Basin! in West Texas; hometown concerts in the New York area, including at Symphony Space and Bargemusic; and appearances at Treetops Chamber Music Society, Maverick Concerts, and Music Mountain.

The CSQ is named for the American Impressionist painter Mary Cassatt.

Cassatt String Quartet concerts in New York State are supported by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor and the New York State Legislature, & the Rea Charitable Trust

Additional funding for all programs that include contemporary music are made possible in part by: The Aaron Copland Music Fund, Alice M. Ditson Fund, and Amphion Foundation