Atara String Quartet was the first place winner of the Society of American Musicians 2014 Jules M. Laser Chamber Music Competition
Atara String Quartet is comprised of Hannah White and Karisa Chiu, violin; Tess Krope, viola; and Krystian Chiu, cello. All four students are Fellows at the Music Institute of Chicago Academy, a pre-college training program for gifted musicians. The quartet is coached by artist faculty member Mathias Tacke. Atara String Quartet was the first place winner of the Society of American Musicians 2014 Jules M. Laser Chamber Music Competition and has performed for Music in the Loft’s Young Artists Concert. They were silver medalist of the 2014 St. Paul String Quartet Competition and third place winners of the 2014 A.N. & Pearl G. Barnett Chamber Music Competition.
In addition, they received honorable mention in the Midwest Young Artists 2014 and 2015 Discover National Chamber Music Competition and advanced to the junior division semifinal round of the 2014 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition. Atara will be featured on WFMT’s Introductions in May 2015. The members have also individually won numerous competitions and prizes locally, regionally and nationally.
Atara is unique in that every member is a first generation American of mixed ethnicity—Hannah is African-American/Vietnamese, Karisa is Korean/Chinese, Tess is Caucasian/Korean, and Krystian is Korean/Chinese. They bring their diversity and commonality into their playing, creating a balanced and cohesive sound. In Hebrew, Atara means “crown.”
Program:
Quartet in G Major, Op. 54, Franz Joseph Haydn
I. Allegro con brio
String Quartet in F Major, Maurice Ravel
I. Allegro moderato, très doux
String Quartet No. 1 (Métamorphoses nocturnes), György Ligeti
Part I
Simple Symphony, Op. 4, Benjamin Britten
II. Playful pizzacato
String Quartet No. 3, George Rochberg
IV. March
String Quartet No. 6, Op. 80, Felix Mendelssohn
I. Vivace assai