New Orford String Quartet
Named after the illustrious Orford String Quartet who toured the world for 40 years, the New Orford String Quartet carries the same artistic excellence and integrity into today’s concert circuit. They perform quartets by Haydn and Beethoven, as well as a new String Quartet by Canadian composer Tim Brady.
Artist Images
Program
Named after the illustrious Orford String Quartet who toured the world for 40 years, the New Orford String Quartet carries the same artistic excellence and integrity into today’s concert circuit. The quartet performs Haydn’s String Quartet in G Major, Op. 76, No. 1, and the String Quartet in A minor, Op. 132 by Beethoven. Counterbalancing these cornerstones of the literature is the String Quartet No. 2, Journal, by Canadian composer Tim Brady.
Program
Joseph Haydn (1732–1809)
String Quartet in G Major, Op. 76, No. 1
Tim Brady (b. 1956)
String Quartet No. 2, Journal (2014)
Intermission
Ludwig van Beethoven (1770–1827)
String Quartet No. 15 in A minor, Op. 132
About the Artists
Four like-minded musicians formed the New Orford String Quartet five years ago with the goal of developing a new model for a touring string quartet. Their concept–to bring four elite orchestral leaders together on a regular basis over many years to perform chamber music at the highest level – has resulted in a quartet that maintains a remarkably fresh perspective while bringing a palpable sense of joy to each performance. The Toronto Starhas described this outcome as “nothing short of electrifying.”
Consisting of the concertmasters and principal cellist and violist of the Montreal and Toronto Symphonies, the New Orford String Quartet has seen astonishing success, giving annual concerts for national CBC broadcast and receiving unanimous critical acclaim, including two Opus Awards for Concert of the Year.
The original Orford String Quartet gave its first public concert in 1965, and became one of the best- known and most illustrious chamber music ensembles. After more than 2,000 concerts on six continents, the Orford String Quartet gave its last concert in 1991. Two decades later, in July 2009 the New Orford String Quartet took up this mantle, giving its first concert for a sold-out audience at the Orford Arts Centre. The New Orford has since gone on to perform concerts throughout North America and lead residencies at the University of Toronto, Mount Royal University, and Syracuse University.
CBC Music recently produced an online series of videos of the New Orford String Quartet performing Haydn, Beethoven, and Brahms that were filmed in Toronto and at the Banff Center. These performances have since been watched by thousands viewers around the world. The New Orford is dedicated to promoting Canadian works, both new commissions and neglected repertoire from the previous century. Each New Orford String Quartet project has included performances of a major Canadian string quartet from the 20th century includes works by Airat Ichmouratov, Jacques Hétu, R. Murray Schafer, and Claude Vivier.
In 2011, the Quartet recorded its debut album of the final quartets of Schubert and Beethoven that was released by Bridge Records to international acclaim. The recording was hailed as one of the top CDs of 2011 by La Presse and CBC In Concert and nominated for a JUNO Award in 2012. Critics have described the recording as “…flawless… a match made in heaven!” (Classical Music Sentinel); “a performance of rare intensity” (Audiophile Audition); and “nothing short of electrifying… listen and weep.” (The Toronto Star).
As part of their leadership positions at the major orchestras in Montreal and Toronto, each member of the Quartet regularly has the opportunity to perform as a soloist with the orchestra. Members of the New Orford String Quartet teach at McGill University and the University of Toronto.
Watch and Listen
The New Orford String Quartet perfom the first movement of the String Quartet in D Major Op. 20, No. 4