UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A Pennsylvania-based ensemble currently in demand worldwide will return to Penn State, this time with an equally accomplished soloist. Dover Quartet and pianist Haochen Zhang will perform at 7:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, in Recital Hall.

Tickets are $48 and $34 for an adult, $26 and $18 for a person 18 and younger, and $5 for a University Park student. Tickets are available for purchase online. Tickets are also available by calling 814-863-0255 or in person, weekdays 10 a.m.–4 p.m., at Eisenhower Auditorium.

Visit Ensemble online for more information about a ticketed performance and a Classical Coffeehouse.

The program will include:

• Ludwig van Beethoven, Sonata in E Major, Op. 109, featuring soloist Haochen
• Marc Neikrug: Piano Quintet No. 2, "In Six Parts," featuring the quartet and soloist
• Franz Schubert, String Quartet No. 14 in D minor, D 810, “Death and the Maiden,” featuring Dover Quartet

The literal central piece of the program, Neikrug’s Piano Quintet No. 2, "In Six Parts," was written specifically for Dover Quartet and Zhang.

“As with most of my music, the demands on the performers are great. The writing requires obvious mastery of their instruments,” Neikrug said. “It also demands engaged emotional understanding and great ensemble. Because of the independence of the parts, everyone needs to be aware of what everyone else is playing at all times.”

Dover Quartet

The multiple award-winning Dover Quartet was formed at Curtis Institute of Music in 2008. It has been designated one of the greatest string quartets of the past 100 years by BBC Music Magazine. It’s current members are Joel Link, violin; Bryan Lee, violin; Julianne Lee, viola; and Camden Shaw, cello.

In addition to its faculty role as the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia, Dover Quartet holds residencies with the Kennedy Center, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University, Artosphere and the Amelia Island Chamber Music Festival.

Read a Center for the Performing Arts interview with Camden Shaw about the March 21 performance with Zhang.

“The Beethoven Op. 109 that he’s gonna play is one of my favorite piano sonatas ever, it’s very, very difficult,” Shaw said. “The way he plays it is really poetic and really poignant. It’s gonna be powerful for sure.”

Haochen Zhang

Since his gold medal win at the 13th annual Van Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2009, Zhang has captivated audiences in the United States, Europe, and Asia with a unique combination of deep musical sensitivity, fearless imagination and spectacular virtuosity. In 2017, Zhang received the prestigious Avery Fisher Career Grant, which recognizes talented musicians with the potential for a major career in music.

Zhang’s performances at the Cliburn competition were released to critical acclaim by Harmonia Mundi in 2009. He also is featured in Peter Rosen’s award-winning documentary chronicling the 2009 Cliburn Competition, “A Surprise in Texas.”

Classical Coffeehouse

Dover Quartet will deliver an intimate mini-concert featuring excerpts from the ensemble’s repertoire as well as engage in conversation with attendees in a Classical Coffeehouse.

Snacks and refreshments will be served before the 8 p.m. Wednesday, March 20, event in Hintz Family Alumni Center’s Robb Hall. Doors open at 7:30 p.m. Seating is limited, but standing room is available when seating is full.

The Classical Coffeehouse event is free for University Park and high school students. A $15 donation is suggested for each person who isn’t a student.

Visit Classical Coffeehouse for more information.

Acknowledgments

The ticketed event is sponsored by Pieter W. and Lida Ouwehand. Support is provided by Norma and Ralph Condee Chamber Music Endowment, Nina C. Brown Endowment and Dotty and Paul Rigby Classical Music Endowment. Pieter and Lida Ouwehand Endowment provides support for the Classical Coffeehouse.Support for accessibility services is provided by William E. McTurk Endowment for Program Support and Gerald B. M. Stein Memorial Endowment.

The Penn State School of Music hosts this presentation.The Dover Quartet appears by arrangement with the Curtis Institute of Music, where it serves as the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence.

A grant from the University Park Student Fee Board makes Penn State student prices possible.

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