Smithsonian Music: Aizuri Quartet
Free ($6 advance RSVP; tickets are free at the door as supplies remain)
- Emma Frucht, violin
- Miho Saegusa, violin
- Brian Hong, viola
- Caleb van der Swaagh, cello
Join us for an evening with the Grammy-nominated Aizuri Quartet, the winners of the 2022–23 and 2023–24 season of the Chamber Music America (CMA) Cleveland Quartet Award.
Now embarking on its twelfth season, the quartet has established a unique position within today's musical landscape, infusing its music-making with infectious energy, joy, and warmth, and cultivating curiosity in listeners while inviting audiences into the concert experience through its innovative programming and the depth and fire of its performances. Aizuri opens a new chapter with the 2023–24 season, announcing its two new members, cellist Caleb van der Swaagh and violist Brian Hong.
The Aizuri Quartet's debut album, Blueprinting, was nominated for a 2019 Grammy Award and named one of NPR Music's "Best Classical Albums" of 2018. Aizuri's follow-up album, Earthdrawn Skies, was released in 2023 and praised by NPR as an album that "convincingly connects the dots in wildly diverse music stretching over eight centuries . . . arousing solemn contemplation, cosmic curiosity, folksy delight and introspective scrutiny." Aizuri is the recipient of several prestigious awards, including the Cleveland Quartet Award and Grand Prize at the M-Prize Chamber Arts competition. The Aizuri Quartet draws its name from aizuri-e, a style of predominantly blue Japanese woodblock printing that is noted for its vibrancy and incredible detail.
About the award: Culminating a remarkable twenty-six-year history as an ensemble, the members of the Cleveland Quartet envisioned a lasting legacy for young musicians. They joined forces in 1995 with Chamber Music America and eight prominent chamber music presenters to found the Cleveland Quartet Award and to raise funds for the establishment of the Cleveland Quartet Endowment Fund. The award honors and promotes a rising young string quartet whose artistry demonstrates that it is in the process of establishing a major career. Providing the quartet with concert appearances on chamber music series around the country, the award enriches the presenters' offerings while helping outstanding young artists gain wide recognition. Previous recipients include the Brentano, Borromeo, Miami, Pacifica, Miró, Jupiter, Parker, Jasper, Ariel, Dover, Rolston, and Verona Quartets.
Tickets are $6 in advance (choose your seats). Remaining tickets are free at the door, beginning at 6:30pm on the day of the concert.
About Emma Frucht, violin
About Miho Saegusa, violin
About Caleb van der Swaagh, cello
Meyer Auditorium at Freer Gallery of Art
1050 Independence Ave SWWashington, DC 20004
United States
https://smithsonianassociates.org/ticketing/help/locations/meyer-auditorium