The Avalon String Quartet, the artists-in-residence at the Northern Illinois University School of Music, is moving its annual Chicago series of concerts to Ganz Hall at Roosevelt University for the 2018-2019 season.
Described by the Chicago Tribune as “an ensemble that invites you–ears, mind and spirit–into its music” the Avalon String Quartet has established itself as one of the country’s leading chamber music ensembles.
The quartet will perform in Ganz Hall Sunday, October 14 at 2:30 p.m., Wednesday, November 28 at 7:30 p.m., Friday, February 15 at 7:30 p.m. and Sunday, April 28 at 2:30 p.m. Tickets are not required for these performances and seating is on a first-come, first served basis.
The focus of this series of four concerts is the work of Felix Mendelssohn with one of his works in each performance.
The first concert, October 14 highlights links between great composers: Mendelssohn, Johan Sebastian Bach and Béla Bartók. Mendelssohn championed Bach’s music which had fallen out of favor, establishing Bach as one the central figures in music history; Bartok’s first string quartet uses fugal techniques inspired by Bach’s works.
The complete schedule of Avalon String Quartet concerts at Ganz Hall:
Sunday Oct 14th at 2:30 p.m. Bach The Art of Fugue BWV. 1080 (selections) Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 1 in E-flat Major Op. 12 Bartok String Quartet No. 1 in A Minor Op. 7 Sz. 40 Wednesday November 28th at 7:30 p.m. Mozart Quartet in B-flat Major K. 458 The Hunt Schnittke String Quartet No. 3 (1983) Mendelssohn String Quintet No. 2 in B-flat Major Op. 87, Guest artist: Lawrence Neuman, viola Friday February 15th at 7:30 p.m. Mendelssohn String Quartet No. 6 in F Minor Op. 80 Ligeti String Quartet No. 1 Metamorphoses Nocturnes Brahms Quartet No. 3 in B-flat Major Op. 67 Sunday April 28th at 2:30 p.m. Mendelssohn Quartet No. 3 in D Major Op. 44 No. 1 Joey Roukens In Transit for String Quartet and Percussion, Guest artist: Gregory Beyer, percussion Beethoven String Quartet No. 7 in F Major Op. 59 No. 1
About the Avalon String Quartet
The Avalon is:
- Blaise Magniere, violin
- Marie Wang, violin
- Anthony Devroye, viola
- Cheng-Hou Lee, cello
Directions to Ganz Hall, Roosevelt University
Roosevelt University’s Auditorium Building is located at 430 South Michigan Avenue. Ganz Hall is on the seventh floor of the Auditorium Building and must be accessed through one of the elevators in the main lobby. Google map
Public parking is available at the Grant Park South Garage one block north of the Auditorium Building off of Michigan Avenue.
About Ganz Hall
One of the true gems of Chicago architecture, Rudolph Ganz Memorial Hall is a stunning performance space that sparkles with refined ornamentation. Stained glass windows, gold-leaf stenciled arches, intricate steel chandeliers, and hand-painted murals combine for a breathtaking whole, whether you are performer or audience.
Featuring the work of French painter Albert Fleury, designer Louis Millet and his collaborator George Healy, and architects Louis Sullivan, Dankmar Adler, and Frank Lloyd Wright, the hall is one of our city’s ultimate examples of artistic collaboration. In 2003, Ganz Hall received the Chicago Landmark Award for Preservation Excellence, and in 2005 was honored with the American Institute of Architects Chicago Design Excellence Award.
Ganz hall is located in the historic Auditorium Building. Now a National Historic Landmark, the Auditorium Building has been a cornerstone of Chicago’s arts and cultural community since its opening in 1889. A crown jewel of famed architects Dankmar Adler and Louis Sullivan, with a young Frank Lloyd Wright as draftsman, the Auditorium Building was the first mixed-use building ever built and the tallest in Chicago when it opened. More than 125 years later, its gilded inner spaces still sparkle for events of all kinds.
