SHCS to End “Discovery Series” with Aizuri 4tet

Aizuri Quartet members Karen Ouzounian, Miho Saegusa, Emma Frucht, and Ayane Kozasa (from the “Overview” Web page for the concert being discussed)

In a little over a week, the Shriver Hall Concert Series (SHCS) will wrap up the “Discovery Series” performances in its spring virtual season with the Baltimore debut of the Aizuri Quartet. The ensemble is based in New York, and its members are violinists Miho Saegusa and Emma Frucht, violist Ayane Kozasa, and cellist Karen Ouzounian. They have prepared a program, all of whose works were written by women composers. Two of them are pre-Classical: Hildegard von Bingen (twelfth century) and Barbara Strozzi (seventeenth century). They will share the program with four living composers: Nina C. Young, Gabriella Smith, Rhiannon Giddens, and Eleanor Alberga.

The Hildegard selection will be the sequence “Columba aspexit,” arranged for string quartet by Alex Fortes. The Strozzi selections are also vocal, “L’usignuolo” and “L’amante modesto,” also arranged by Fortes. In addition, there will be a contemporary vocal selection, “At the Purchaser’s Option” from Rhiannon Giddens’ Freedom Highway album, arranged this time by Jacob Garchik.  The selections by Young (“Memento mori - Phase I”) and Smith (“Carrot Revolution”) both reflect on earlier composers, such as Johann Sebastian Bach and Pérotin, as well as traditional sources. Those that have been following this site, particularly during pandemic conditions, may recall that the Telegraph Quartet streamed a performance of Alberga’s second quartet this past October; and the Aizuri Quartet will play her first quartet.

This performance will take place on Saturday, June 12, beginning at noon (Pacific time). There will be no fee for admission, but reservations are required. SHCS has set up an event page for making reservations. Donations will be appreciated with a recommended amount of $15. There is also a more general Web page, which provides specifics about the performers and program notes. Once the reservation has been processed, a hyperlink for viewing the performance will be made available.