Dear Barbara,

I just wanted to compliment you on the superb concert last evening. All the musicians were talented, delightful, and the program was a very special one and more than we bargained for at that. I have always liked the Debussy and Prokofiev pieces (found a free copy of the Prokofiev sheet music online today!) and it was nice being introduced to Harrison's music. He reminded me a bit of Hovhannes.  And what can you say about Beethoven, except that I had not heard that particular quartet before.

Although my wife and I have had a home on Topsail Island since 1994, we have lived here full-time for only three years. We have attended individual Wilmington Chamber concerts in the past, having been introduced to the series by Virginia and Wilson Hardy.  This is the first year we have subscribed and we are really impressed with the program.

Wilson plays cello as you know and I am an amateur clarinetist (which made last night's performance all the more meaningful to me). He and I both play in the chamber group Petite Arpeggio at UNCW, conducted by Chris Johns. Some of us also play for the students' conducting class, which is fun.  I also play in the OLLI New Horizons Band at UNCW and currently chair their steering committee.

We look forward to the rest of the season.

With best wishes,

S. Michael Plaut, Ph.D., PLLC

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Last night was fantastic!  I think Beethoven came in last!  Wow what energy and talent.  Thanks!
Love,
Kate Griffin

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Dear Barbara,

Wilmington Chamber Music evenings are jewels. Thank you for them and for so often including music we would not hear otherwise. Will you tell me the name of the composer and piece the quartet played as an encore, it was challenging and delightful to listen to. Voxare is a group I hope will be around for a long time.

Thank you for taking the time to give me the information, we're looking forward to the next event.

Sincerely,
Carol Hovey & David Stallman

VOXARE STRING QUARTET
Voxare String Quartet
Emily Ondracek, violin
Galina Zhdanova, violin
Erik Peterson, viola
Adrian Daurov, cello

“The gifted VOXARE STRING QUARTET” (The New York Times) formed in 2008 and has since received critical praise for its inventive programming, technical prowess, attention to detail, and passionate performances. The New York Times recently declared that Voxare plays “with such penetrating tone and lucid textures,” and has on numerous occasions chosen Voxare as its Classical Pick of the Week. Voxare is a frequent performer at Bargemusic in New York City where the quartet has been quartet-in-residence. Voxare has been featured live in Soundcheck WNYC and its concerts broadcast on WQXR. Voxare performs works by living composers at its residency series, DIG IT! New Music, at Teachers College, Columbia University, and will have a performing residence at Dartmouth this season. Voxare’s unique performing activities earned the quartet Chamber Music America’s 2010 ASCAP Award for Adventurous Programming. Voxare has studied with the Julliard String Quartet at its String Quartet Seminar and with the Kronos Quartet through Carnegie Hall.

Individually, Voxare members Emily-Ondracek-Peterson (violin), Galina Zhdanova (violin), Erik Peterson (viola), and Adrian Daurov (cello) have performed as soloist with orchestras such as the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and orchestrally with the Cleveland Orchestra, Milwaukee Symphony, and St. Petersburg Philharmonic. The four musicians have amassed a number of prizes at international competitions. In addition to performing standard repertoire, Voxare takes responsibility in presenting and encouraging interest in contemporary music, and often works with leading composers such as Pulitzer Prize winning composers Ned Rorem and David Del Tredici. In 2010, Voxare was the Quartet-in-Residence a the International Computer Music conference, and presented a three day Mostly Riley festival to celebrate the 75th birthday of composer Terry Riley at Bargemusic.

Emily Ondracek, violin
A native of Chicago, Emily Ondracek started playing the violin at the age of 5, and began giving public concerts soon thereafter. At 16, Ms. Ondracek gave her solo debut with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, playing Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concertos. Since that time, she has performed throughout the United State and Europe, and at festivals such as Aspen, Italy’s Festival de Due Mondi, and the Cleveland Orchestra’s Blossom Summer Music Festival, where she was awarded the Joseph Gingold prize for outstanding performance.

In New York, Ms. Ondracek frequently give recitals, recently giving the debut of Histoire de Babar for violin and piano at the Steinway Hall Recital Series. She has also performed with jazz artists such as Herbie Hancock and Wynton Marsalis. Ms. Ondracek records frequently for film and television, and has recorded for Naxos records.

Ms. Ondracek received both her Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from The Julliard School, where she studied with Masao Kawasaki. She is currently a doctoral candidate at Columbia University, where she is a researching new methods of music education. Ms. Ondracek performs on a Parisian violin made in 1815.

Galina Zhdanova, violin
A native of Russia, Galina began studying the violin at the age of 5. At the age of 15 she won the First Prize at the International Violin Competition in Tokyo, Japan. Since then she has participated in numerous music festivals and concerts all around the world. In 2004 Galina was appointed Assistant Concertmaster of the Bayreuth Festival Youth Symphony Orchestra under conductors Peter Gulke and Joseph Schwab. A graduate of the St. Petersburg Conservatory, where she studied with a renowned violinist Mikhail Gantvarg, she also studied with Daniel and Todd Phillips (of the Orion Quartet) and Grigory Kalinovsky.

Galina is a versatile musician, at home in worlds of classical, contemporary and popular music. Her performances have taken her from Bargemusic and Carnegie Hall to Madison Square Garden, Boardwalk Theater in Atlantic City, IZOD Arena, and TV appearances on Good Morning America, The View and Rachel Ray’s Shows. Galina plays with Josh Groban, Steven Tyler of Aerosmith, Sarah Brightman, David Byrne (Talking Heads), and The Trans-Siberian Orchestra. She frequently performs with the Key West Symphony and Symphony in C.

Erik Peterson, viola
Violist Erik Peterson started playing the viola at age 10 in his native Chicago. As an orchestral musician, Mr. Peterson has performed with the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Milwaukee and New World Symphonies. He has participated in the music festivals of Sarasota, Blossom, Aspen, and Grant Park, as well as the Spoleto Festival dei Due Mondi in Italy and the Encore School for Strings, where he was awarded the Kay H. Logan Award for chamber music performance. Mr. Peterson has performed on WFMT in Chicago, and been heard as the subject of a feature on NPR radio.

As a chamber musician, Mr. Peterson has collaborated with members of the Juilliard, Brentano, and Cleveland Quartets, and also members of the Chicago Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra, and the New York Philharmonic, leading him to perform in Carnegie, Alice Tully, and Avery Fisher Halls.

Mr. Peterson received his Bachelor’s Degree from the Juilliard School, where he studied with Heidi Castleman and Misha Amory, and his Master’s Degree from the Cleveland Institute of Music, where he is currently a Doctoral Candidate and teaching assistant to Stanley Konopka.

Adrian Daurov, cello
Adrian was born in St. Petersburg, Russia and studied at the St. Petersburg Conservatory with Anatoly Nikitin. From an early age Adrian appeared as a soloist and chamber musician on the main concert stages of St. Petersburg and Moscow, as well as in Europe and the U.S. He made his orchestral debut in 1997 with the St. Petersburg Symphony Orchestra. Adrian was awarded with 1st prizes at the international music competitions in Dobrich, Bulgaria(1996), Peter De Grote, Groningen, The Netherlands (2001) and the LISMA Foundation Competition in NY (2006). In 2004 he toured Germany as a soloist with the St. Petersburg Chamber Orchestra and was appointed the Principal Cellist of the Bayreuth Festival Youth Orchestra under conductor Peter Gulke.

He is a graduate of Juilliard School, where he studied with David Soyer of Guameri Quartet and Andre Emelianoff. In June 2007, Mr. Daurov was appointed the Principal Cellist of The Chamber Orchestra of New York under conductor Salvatore Di Vittorio. He recently performed the World Premiere of Behzad Ranjbaran’s “Fountains of Fin” at Bargemusic in New York. In June 2008 Adrian was featured in Gala Concert in celebration of Russia’s Independence Day at Carnegie Hall among the world-famous soprano Elena Obrazisova and tenor Vladimir Galuzin. Adrian recently performed the World Premiere of “The Epistle “ for Cello Solo and Choir by a Siberian Composer Yuri Yukechev with The Russian Chamber Chorus Of New York.

Website www.voxarequartet.com