Continuing the Legacy of Excellence
Soovin Kim, vln / Jessica Lee, vln
Choong-Jin (C.J.) Chang, vla / Peter Stumpf, cello
“The passion and attack that characterize the best of quartet playing.” - Philadelphia Inquirer
"The Johannes String Quartet, comprised of four impressively gifted instrumentalists in their own right, have come together to form one of the great chamber music groups of our time. They play with technical polish, with deep musical understanding, and with uncommon inspiration. The Johannes is all I could ever dream of in a string quartet." Arnold Steinhardt, Guarneri Quartet
"these four phenomenal players are making a name for themselves as the next major standard-rep string quartet." Time Out NY Nov 2011
The Johannes brings together the first American to win the Paganini Violin Competition in 24 years, Soovin Kim; a Concert Artists Guild Competition winner, Jessica Lee; the Principal violist of the Philadelphia Orchestra, C.J. Chang; and the Principal cellist of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Peter Stumpf. Their collaboration was forged at the Marlboro Music Festival in Vermont, and shaped and mentored by the Guarneri String Quartet whose style was influenced by the Budapest String Quartet decades before. They are continuing the legacy of excellence. In addition to its recent broadcasts on Performance Today and St. Paul Sunday and a triumphant Carnegie Hall debut, the Johannes has had great successes with audiences and critics alike in Chicago, Philadelphia and Washington DC, among others.
The 2007-08 and 2008-09 seasons included the group’s collaboration with the legendary Guarneri String Quartet in a program featuring William Bolcom’s Octet: Double Quartet written for them and commissioned by the Music Accord consortium of presenters as well as a newly commissioned string quartet, Homunculus, written for the Johannes by Esa-Pekka Salonen. For their performances of these groundbreaking works, they received acclaim from audiences at the Krannert Center (Urbana, IL), University Musical Society (Ann Arbor, MI), Penn State University, Boston’s Celebrity Series, the Orange County Performing Arts Society, San Francisco Performances, Phoenix Chamber Music Society, UCLA Live, Kansas City Friends of Chamber Music, Hayes University (KS), and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center in New York City. Residencies and performances with Middlebury College, the Islip Arts Council and the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society were also highlights. During the 2010-11 season the Johannes tours Vermont, Connecticut and Pennsylvania. In Summer 2011, the Johannes returns for its bi-annual appearance at the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival.
Availability:
October 10–20, 2013; February 27–March 9, 2014
October 13–18 or 20–26, November 10–23, 2014; March 9–29, April 6–26, 2015
Programs selected from these works (please consult for additional options):
Brahms String Quartet No. 1 in C minor, Op. 51 No. 1
Brahms String Quartet No. 2 in A minor, Op. 51 No. 2
Brahms String Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major, Op. 67
Schubert String Quartet No. 13 in A minor, D. 804 "Rosamunde"
Dutilleux Ainsi la nuit (1976)
Schumann String Quartet No. 1 in A minor, Op. 41 No. 1
Collaborations:
with Roberto Diaz, viola for Brahms String Quintet in F Major
with members of the Guarneri Quartet for Brahms or Dvorák Sextet
"the same immaculate intonation and ensemble warmth, making the taxing Mozart lines sound beguilingly simple and the entire listening experience unadulterated pleasure. (Schubert: "Death and the Maiden") -a gripping performance that brought a chorus of cheers." Buffalo News
“One of the finest chamber music concerts in recent local experience…The highly polished performance revealed amazing maturity…. this is definitely a group to watch.” - The Virginian-Pilot
“a pretty terrific new string quartet has been born, and a long life is anticipated.” - Los Angeles Times
Send us an email or call +1 (212) 581-5197
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Beethoven: Op. 59, No. 1, Allegro
