Kontras Quartet

Dmitri Pogorelov, violinist
Francois Henkins, violinist
Al Ishida, violist
Jean Hatmaker, cellist

Lauded for their “great sensitivity and brilliance,” the Kontras Quartet is rapidly becoming one of the most vibrant young quartets on the scene. The Quartet is all the more unique in that its members -- violinists Dmitri Pogorelov and Francois Henkins, violist Ai Ishida and cellist Jean Hatmaker -- hail from four different parts of the world.

THE Quartet is currently in the first year of its tenure as the Hickory Metro Resident Quartet with the Western Piedmont Symphony in Hickory, NC. Kontras competed against other seasoned string quartets from across the country to win the residency, which was established in conjunction with Chamber Music America in 1999. As the focal point of their residency, Kontras will be presenting a series of chamber music concerts, sponsored by the Friends of the Quartet, throughout the season. The members will also serve as principals of the orchestra while in residence.

KONTRAS is committed to bringing chamber music to new audiences and cultivating enthusiasm for music in people of all ages. Each season, the Quartet offers informal performances and recital previews in unconventional venues. In order to be fully engaged in the communities around North Carolina, Kontras will perform more than 70 community concerts each year as a part of their residency. The Quartet has developed a series of highly successful, specially designed educational arts programs for varied settings such as colleges, retirement homes, universities, hospitals and elementary schools. The four members are avid teachers and currently hold positions at Lenoir-Rhyne University in Hickory and the NewArt School in Newton. They also mentor the young musicians of the Western Piedmont Youth Symphony through sectional coachings and masterclasses.

HIGHLIGHTS from the Quartet’s 2011 performance season will include performances with multi-media artists Sally Fanjoy and James Labrenz, a collaboration with renowned Vermeer Quartet cellist Marc Johnson, appearances at the Garth Newel Summer Music Festival, and teaching at the Kontras Quartet Chamber Music Workshop at Emory & Henry College in Virginia.

IN addition to offering fresh interpretations of the established string quartet canon, the Quartet is a firm advocate of new and unfamiliar compositions. The Quartet’s ongoing project is to commission works from composers in each of their native countries -- Russia, South Africa, Japan and the USA -- and release a recording of their newly acquired repertoire.

KONTRAS, which means “contrasts” in violinist Francois Henkins’ native Afrikaans language, debuted in Chicago after the four musicians met as principals of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago. They flourished under the mentorship of the Vermeer Quartet and Dr. Cliff Colnot, the principal conductor of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s contemporary MusicNOW series. The Quartet also received special instruction from members of the Emerson String Quartet and renowned violinist Ilya Kaler. In addition to their exceptional chamber music experience, each member of the Quartet has many orchestral and solo accomplishments to his or her credit.

Dmitri Pogorelov, violinst

Critically acclaimed violinist Dmitri Pogorelov has won prestigious chamber music competitions in his native Russia at an early age, which led to numerous appearances in chamber music recitals and solo performances with orchestras in the USA, Germany, Italy, France, Japan, and Russia. Dmitri has appeared in chamber music concerts with principal players of Chicago, Houston, Saint Louis and Seattle Symphonies, Cleveland and Concertgebouw Orchestras, and the San Francisco, Chicago Lyric, and Frankfurt State Opera orchestras. As part of Dmitri’s interest in contemporary chamber music, he has recently recorded works by Eric Ewazen, Gunther Schuller, and Yehudi Wyner for Albany Records. A seasoned orchestral performer, Dmitri has worked under Pierre Boulez, Bernard Haitink, Sir Mark Elder, and Esa-Pekka Salonen as concertmaster of the Chicago Symphony’s Civic Orchestra. Dmitri is currently an adjunct violin teacher on the faculty of Lenoir-Rhyne University in NC.

Jean Hatmaker, cellist
 At age 26, Illinois native Jean Hatmaker has already begun to emerge as a profound voice in the classical music world. Ms. Hatmaker began her chamber music career at age 12 as cellist of the Micelli Quartet, with whom she toured Europe and competed in the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition in 2000. As a dedicated performer of contemporary music, she has performed with Indiana University's New Music Ensemble, and as a guest artist at the University of Chicago. Ms. Hatmaker has a passion for teaching and reaching out to new audiences, and during her time as principal cellist of the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, she worked with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra’s Institute for Learning, Access and Training as a musical ambassador to young and underprivileged students. She has also worked as a private cello instructor for Indiana University, and Lewis University in Romeoville, IL. Currently she is on the faculty at Lenoir-Rhyne University as a teacher for the Kids in Koncert program. Ms. Hatmaker holds both a Bachelors and Masters of Music in cello performance from Indiana University, where she studied under the direction of Janos Starker.

Ai Ishida, violist
Ai Ishida was born in Tokyo to two musicians of the New Japan Philharmonic. In Japan, she studied viola at the Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music. Ai has traveled the world to appear at music festivals such as the Schleswig-Holstein Music Festival; the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, where she worked with the Tokyo String Quartet; and the Pacific Music Festival, where she performed with members of the Vienna Philharmonic. Ms. Ishida’s viola studies continued at Northern Illinois University, where she won the concerto competition and performed Bartok’s Viola Concerto. Her pedagogues include Richard Young, Li-Kuo Chang, Yukiko Ogura and the Vermeer Quartet. She has played with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and with the Civic Orchestra of Chicago as principal violist. Recent performances include masterclasses with Nobuko Imai and Yo-Yo Ma, and a show at Chicago’s Green Mill following studies with jazz master David Bloom.

Francois Henkins,violinist
Having grown up in a highly musical family, violinist Francois Henkins distinguished himself at an early age by winning national chamber music and solo competitions in his native South Africa, and performing as guest soloist with the Johannesburg and Free State Symphonies. He came to the USA with a full scholarship to the Interlochen Arts Academy, and continued his studies under Chicago Symphony Orchestra concertmaster Robert Chen, Nathan Cole, and Renata Artman Knific. Francois has since traveled the world to appear at chamber music festivals such as the Musicorda Chamber Music Festival; the Stellenbosch National Chamber Music Competition, at which he was awarded a prize for his notable performance; and the Cleveland Orchestra's Kent/Blossom Music Festival, where he was awarded the Josef Gingold Award for his distinguished performance in chamber music. An experienced orchestral performer, Francois has worked under renowned conductors such as Bernard Haitink and Pierre Boulez in the Civic Orchestra of Chicago, the Chicago Sinfonietta, and the Johannesburg Philharmonic. Francois has a deep love of teaching and has worked with underprivileged children through the Botsabelo Outreach String Program in South Africa. Francois is currently on the faculty of the NewArt School of Newton, NC.