EQ: Evolution of the String Quartet | Summer Music 2019

Overview

Led by violinist Aisslinn Nosky and featuring four of the most exciting string quartets to be found anywhere — JACK, Eybler, Parker, and Bozzini quartets — along with an extraordinary group of soloists, composers, and scholars, Evolution of the String Quartet (EQ) explores the string quartet lineage from Haydn to music made in Banff by and for the faculty and participants of EQ.

Participants will explore the early string quartet, with sessions on intonation, harmony, and structure, as well as in-depth discussions of style and rhetoric. Quartets from the traditional canon will be studied and performed alongside 2018 Banff-commissioned works by Zosha Di Castri, Tyshawn Sorey, and others. Participant composers' works will be performed by participant string quartets, and faculty quartets will give world premieres. Participants and audiences alike will explore the lineage of the string quartet, both as a historical genre and as a new and invigorated practice in the early 21st century. 

What does the program offer?

Participants attending EQ will present public and in-house performances. The residency will produce nearly a concert per day for three weeks — from publicized, ticketed events to participant-driven “throw downs” and octet, as well as other chamber music reading sessions with participants and faculty side by side.

Participants will also convene in a daily meeting for high-level presentations by select faculty about musical aesthetics, interpretative issues, ensemble management, and equity in the arts field. Performance and composition faculty will offer coaching and private lessons.

Composers will receive instruction and mentorship from EQ's internationally distinguished composition faculty, and will have their pieces performed by participants.

Who should apply?

Established string quartets, composers, and scholars are encouraged to apply. The successful applicants will be post-secondary students or emerging artists, already at an advanced level of accomplishment and with a well-documented record of musical exploration.  Artists from historically underrepresented groups are especially welcomed. 

Application Deadline: January 16, 2019

Date: July 15 - August 03, 2019