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SSQ closes season May 22 with violist James Marshall

The Spokane String Quartet closes its 2021-22 season at 3 p.m. Sunday, May 22, with a concert featuring Spokane Symphony violist James Marshall.

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Marshall is guest performer on Brahms’ Viola Quintet No. 2 in G Major. Also on the program are String Quartet in E-flat Major by Joseph Haydn and String Quartet No. 10 by Dmitri Shostakovich.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors and $12 for students. All seats are general admission. Tickets are available via TicketsWest and at the door the day of the concert.

String Quartet looks to spring March 20 ‘on a lark’

The Spokane String Quartet looks to see its first lark of spring at its next concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, March 20, at The Bing Crosby Theater.

The concert features:

• Jennifer Higdon: An Exaltation of Larks
• Joseph Haydn:  String Quartet in D Major, Op. 64 No. 5,  “The Lark”
• Bedrich Smetana: String Quartet No. 1 in E Minor, “From My Life”

Tickets are $20 for Adults, $16 for Seniors and $12 for Students. Click here to buy tickets online.

SSQ celebrates Black History Month

Derrick ParkerThe Spokane String Quartet is observing Black History Month at its Sunday, Feb. 20, concert with music by Black composers and a guest appearance by bass-baritone Derrick Parker. The concert begins at 3 p.m. at the Bing Crosby Theater.

Parker has performed with opera companies and orchestras across the country. He is no stranger to Spokane audiences, where he now makes his home. He has performed in several local opera productions and soloed with the Spokane Symphony. He will sing Samuel Barber’s arrangement of the Matthew Arnold poem “Dover Beach.”

Also on the program are English composer Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s “Five Fantasy Pieces for String Quartet”; String Quartet No. 1 by George Walker, the first person of color to win the Pulitzer Prize for Music; and the “Rosa Parks Quartet” by contemporary Haitian-American composer Daniel Bernard Roumain, who goes by his initials, DBR. Roumain has collaborated with artists ranging from Philip Glass to Lady Gaga.

Tickets are $20 for adults, $16 for seniors and $10 for students. All seats are general admission and are available at TicketsWest or at the door before the concert. Click here to buy tickets. Proof of vaccination or a negative COVID test is required for entry into the theater.

Pianist Archie Chen joins SSQ for Nov. 21 concert at The Fox

Spokane native and internationally known pianist Archie Chen visits the Spokane String Quartet for a concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 21, at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox. He and the SSQ will perform Dvorak’s Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81. Click here to buy tickets.

Chen is a graduate of Indiana University and the Royal Irish Academy of Music, Dublin, Ireland, where he resided for 15 years before returning to Spokane in 2019. Dr. Chen’s performances have led him to the most prestigious venues throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. A charismatic and commanding performer of solo and chamber music repertoire, he is noted for his warm tone, a dazzling technique and his unusual and compelling interpretations. Chen served as Assistant Professor of Piano at the Royal Irish Academy of Music for many years and along with his wife Rhona Gouldson, is co-founder and CEO of both the Dublin International Piano Festival and the International Piano Academy of Ireland.

Also on the program is music by Ludwig von Beethoven and contemporary Canadian composer Vivian Fung. 

Concert dates set for 2021-22 season

The Spokane String Quartet is excited about returning to the concert stage this fall. Concerts will be Oct. 3 and Nov. 21 at the Martin Woldson Theater at The Fox and Feb. 20, March 20 and May 22 at the Bing Crosby Theater. All concerts are at 3 p.m. Sundays. Watch for information this summer related to season tickets and single-concert tickets.

SSQ to perform Haydn work for Palm Sunday 2021 concert

The Spokane String Quartet is playing Haydn’s “The Seven Last Words of Christ on the Cross” this Sunday, March 28, at 2 p.m. in the Sacred Music Series at The Cathedral of Our Lady of Lourdes, 1115 W. Riverside Ave. (Use the west entrance.)

This piece was originally scheduled to be performed during the Quartet’s 2019-20 season, but was canceled because of the COVID-19 shutdown. We are happy to present it in this very appropriate space.

The free concert is live at 2 p.m., with social distancing in place. Other options to hear the program include a livestream version at https://www.facebook.com/pg/OLLCathedral/videos/?ref=page_internal and the Cathedral’s Facebook page, which will have it available for later viewing. Spokane Public Radio will be broadcasting the concert on “Music That Matters” Monday, April 5, at 7 p.m. on KPBX, 91.1 FM.

We look forward to bringing you more live chamber music in the near future. Stay safe and we’ll see you soon!

May 31 concert canceled

The Spokane String Quartet has canceled its May 31 concert at the Bing Crosby Theater featuring guest violist James Marshall. We hope to reschedule the performance during the 2020-21 season.

We care about our patrons, and do not want to put anyone’s health in jeopardy in these times of concern about coronavirus and COVID-19. Anyone who purchased a single-concert ticket may get a refund from TicketsWest. We will be in touch with season-ticket holders about an alternative event, donation credit or refund.

Our regular summer activities — including scheduling next season — are up in the air as Washington’s counties work their way through the four-stage reopening process. Watch your mail, email and our website for news about next season’s performances.

April 5 concert canceled

The Spokane String Quartet has canceled its April 5 concert at the Bing Crosby Theater featuring Haydn’s “Seven Last Words of Christ.” The Easter-themed concert will not be rescheduled.

We care about our patrons, and do not want to put anyone’s health in jeopardy in these times of concern about coronavirus and COVID-19. Anyone who purchased a single-concert ticket may get a refund from TicketsWest. We will be in touch with season-ticket holders about an alternative event, donation credit or refund.