Madison, NJ
Gilbert Kalish and the Viano QuartetSat, Nov 22, 2025, 7:30 pm
Concert Hall at Drew University
2 hours, including intermission
Program
Joseph Haydn
(1732–1809)Quartet in D minor for Strings, Hob. III:83, Op. 103
(1803)Felix Mendelssohn
(1809–1847)Quartet in D major for Strings, Op. 44, No. 1
(1838)Johannes Brahms
(1833–1897)Quintet in F minor for Piano, Two Violins, Viola, and Cello, Op. 34
(1864)Quick Note
Gilbert Kalish
Viano Quartet
The profound influence of pianist Gilbert Kalish as an educator and pianist in myriad performances and recordings has established him as a major figure in American music-making. This season he appears with the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic, performs at the Ojai Music Festival, and holds a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory. In 2006 he was awarded the Peabody Medal by the Peabody Conservatory for his outstanding contributions to music in America. He was the pianist of the Boston Symphony Chamber Players for 30 years, and was a founding member of the Contemporary Chamber Ensemble, a group that flourished during the 1960s and 70s in support of new music. He is particularly known for his partnership of many years with mezzo-soprano Jan DeGaetani, as well as for current collaborations with soprano Dawn Upshaw and cellists Timothy Eddy and Joel Krosnik. As an educator and performer he has appeared at the Banff Centre, the Steans Institute at Ravinia, the Marlboro Music Festival, and Music@Menlo; from 1985 to 1997 he served as chairman of the Tanglewood faculty. His discography of some 100 recordings embraces both the classical and contemporary repertories; of special note are those made with Ms. DeGaetani and that of Ives' Concord Sonata. A distinguished professor at SUNY Stony Brook, Mr. Kalish has been an Artist of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center since 2006.
Praised for their “virtuosity, visceral expression, and rare unity of intention” (Boston Globe), the Viano Quartet are one of the most sought-after young ensembles today and current members of CMS’s Bowers Program. Since soaring to international acclaim as winners of the 13th Banff International String Quartet Competition, they have performed at major venues across the globe.
During the 2024–25 season, the quartet makes its debut in Alice Tully Hall, followed by appearances at series including Wolf Trap, Tuesday Evening Concert Series, Northwestern University, Four Arts, MoCA Westport, Chamber Music Yellow Springs, and the chamber music societies of Dallas, Salt Lake City, and Carmel. In November, the quartet makes its debut in David Geffen Hall with Sir Stephen Hough for the world premiere of his new piano quintet. The quartet can be heard in Canada this season with debuts at the Cecilian Chamber Series as well as the Royal Conservatory of Music in Toronto and Isabel Bader PAC in Kingston in a program with guitarist Miloš Karadaglic. As the inaugural June Goldsmith Quartet-in-Residence for the Music in the Morning series through the 2024–25 season, the quartet will return to Vancouver this March for concerts and community engagement initiatives.
In addition to their busy touring schedule, the quartet are also dedicated advocates of music education, and have worked with students at Music@Menlo, SUNY Buffalo, the Colburn Academy, Duke University, University of British Columbia, Northern Michigan University, Utah State University, University of Denver, and Virginia Commonwealth University. This season they will be returning to University of Victoria for several weeks of residency. The quartet has previously held graduate quartet residencies at Curtis and Colburn and were also the Peak Fellowship Quartet-in-Residence at Meadows School of the Arts at SMU.
The Viano Quartet has collaborated with world-class musicians including Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Fleur Barron, James Ehnes, Mahan Esfahani, Marc-André Hamelin, Bridget Kibbey, Paul Neubauer, David Shifrin, and Elisso Virsaladze. 2023 marked the release of the quartet’s first album, Portraits, on the Curtis label, featuring pieces by Schubert, Florence Price, Tchaikovsky, and Ginastera.
Before their career-defining achievement at the Banff International String Quartet Competition, they also received major prizes at the Wigmore Hall, Osaka, Fischoff, ENKOR, and Yellow Springs Chamber Music competitions. Each member of the quartet is grateful to the interminable support from their distinguished mentors at the Curtis Institute and Colburn Conservatory, including members of the Dover, Guarneri, and Tokyo string quartets.