NORTHERN ILLINOIS UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF VISUAL AND PERFORMING ARTS

Avalon String Quartet

(l to r) Blaise Magnière, Marie Wang, Anthony Devroye, Cheng-Hou Lee

The Avalon String Quartet, artists in residence at the NIU School of Music will perform an original composition based on one of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches.

Seven Ages of Man will be premiere, Wednesday, September 7 at 7 p.m. in the NIU Music Building Recital Hall.

“All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players;
They have their exits and their entrances,
And one man in his time plays many parts,
His acts begin seven ages.”

Thus begins one of Shakespeare’s most famous speeches, spoken by the misanthropic Jacques in the comic masterpiece, As You Like ItIt is also the basis for a new string quartet, composed by NIU School of Music Professor David Maki and performed by the Avalon String Quartet.

David Maki

David Maki

This piece, specially commissioned by the NIU College of Visual and Performing Arts in honor of NIU’s 125th anniversary, will have several parts, each introduced with the accompanying text performed by actress Mary Nighosian and actor (and Dean of the College of Visual and Performing Arts) Paul Kassel.

We hope you’ll join us at the world premiere of this exciting marriage of great music and theatre!

Tickets may only be purchased at:  https://niumusic.universitytickets.com/

The performance will also be live streamed on the NIU School of Music website.

The Avalon String Quartet are:
Blaise Magnière, violin, Richard O. Ryan Endowed Chair in Violin
Marie Wang, violin
Anthony Devroye, viola
Cheng-Hou Lee, cello

Wednesday, September 7, 7:00 p.m., NIU Music Building, Recital Hall
String Quartet in F Major, Op. 135
by Ludwig van Beethoven
The Seven Ages of Man, by David Maki
String Quartet in G minor by Leo Sowerby