Sunday, September 18, 2022 @ 3:00pm – 5:00pm (EDT)
Ticket details

Free ($15 suggested donation)

One of the priorities for the UMD School of Music Graduate Fellowship Ensembles is to connect and engage with the surrounding community in meaningful and impactful ways. In a collaborative effort IGNIS, Terrapin Brass and Thalea String Quartet are presenting a recital in order to collect donations for the College Park Community Food Bank.

This Benefit Recital is to help raise awareness about and collect donations for the food bank. By hosting this recital in the Gildenhorn Recital Hall, the fellowship ensembles hope to bring information about the important work being done to address food insecurity in the College Park area to a new location, reach new audiences and encourage people to donate, learn more and volunteer.

Please note that this event will not be livestreamed.

Donation Information: Admission to this recital is free, with a suggested donation of $15, which can be given in the form of cash or check at the recital hall door, or online at this link: https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=E5ZV6U8EZ67LQ

COVID-19 Protocols: Patrons attending University of Maryland arts events are no longer required to show proof of vaccination or a negative COVID-19 test. We continue to encourage audiences to wear a mask and stay current with vaccinations and boosters. Please see our Health & Safety information page for information about what to expect during your visit: https://theclarice.umd.edu/health-safety

About University of Maryland (UMD) School of Music

The University of Maryland School of Music provides an exceptional professional musical education within the context of a college of arts and humanities and a major research university.

https://music.umd.edu/

About Thalea String Quartet

The Thalea String Quartet brings their signature vibrancy and emotional commitment to dynamic performances that reflect the past, present, and the future of the string quartet repertoire while celebrating diverse musical traditions from around the world. Fueled by the belief that chamber music is a powerful force for building community and human connection, the Thalea String Quartet has performed across North America, Europe, and China, and has appeared at the Kennedy Center, Massey Hall, and Weill Hall at Carnegie Hall. They have shared the stage with luminaries of the chamber music world, including members of the Emerson, Borromeo and St Lawrence String Quartets, and they have performed alongside celebrated artists including Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Caroline Shaw, violist Lawrence Power, acclaimed Canadian band BADBADNOTGOOD, and visionary hip hop artist Jay Electronica.

Committed to shaping and contributing to the future of the string quartet repertoire, the Thalea String Quartet has premiered dozens of new works and have collaborated on new commissions with composers including Paola Prestini, Anthony R. Green, Akshaya Avril Tucker, and Tanner Porter.

Winners of the 2021 Ann Divine Educator Award from the Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition, the members of the Thalea String Quartet have been celebrated for their innovative approach to education and community engagement. Pioneers of virtual educational programming, TSQ has developed a variety of digital content, including two digital video series for students of all ages and the CHAMPS Virtual Chamber Music Seminar, which brought together students from across North America for an eight-week intensive study of the music of Florence Price, Franz Joseph Haydn, and Antonín Dvořák. The members of the TSQ have presented masterclasses and workshops at institutions across North America, including the Berkelee College of Music, the Frost School of Music at the University of Miami, and San Francisco State University. They have presented lectures and led discussions at institutions including the University of Maryland, Dalhousie University in Nova Scotia, and Wayne State Medical School in Detroit, where they presented a workshop on non-verbal communication to first year medical students alongside the Emerson String Quartet.

The Thalea String Quartet is the Doctoral Fellowship String Quartet at the University of Maryland. The quartet has also held fellowship positions at the University of Texas at Austin and the San Francisco Conservatory. They served as Associated Artists at the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel in Waterloo, Belgium for the 2019-20 season and were the 2019-20 Ernst Stiefel Quartet-in-Residence at the Caramoor Center for Music and the Arts. They were top prize winners at the 2018 Fischoff Competition and 2018 Chamber Music Yellow Springs Competition.

Christopher Whitley (violin) is originally from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, Kumiko Sakamoto (violin) is from Medicine Hat, Alberta, Canada; Lauren Spaulding (viola) is from San Antonio, Texas, and Titilayo Ayangade (cello) is from Cincinnati, Ohio. Christopher performs on the 1700 "Taft" Stradivari, generously on loan by the Canada Council for the Arts Musical Instrument Bank.

https://www.thaleastringquartet.com/