Pre-concert talk with Artistic Director Barry Shiffman & artist, 2 PM

New York-based Harlem Quartet, currently quartet-in-residence at the John J. Cali School of Music and the Royal College of Music in London, has been praised for its “panache” by The New York Times. It has also won plaudits from such veteran musicians as GRAMMY-winning woodwind virtuoso Ted Nash of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, who declared that, “Harlem Quartet is one of the greatest string quartets I have ever heard. They can play anything.” The Harlem Quartet has three distinctive characteristics: diverse programming that combines music from the standard string quartet canon with jazz, Latin and contemporary works; a collaborative approach to performance that is continually broadening the ensemble’s repertoire and audience reach; and an ongoing commitment to residency activity and other forms of educational outreach.

The quartet’s mission is to advance diversity in classical music, engaging young and new audiences through the discovery and presentation of varied repertoire that includes works by composers of color. A 2016 Guarneri String Quartet grant from Chamber Music America allowed the quartet to participate in an extended performance and educational residency in Mobile, AL, which included a close partnership with the Mobile Symphony Orchestra.