Named one of the greatest string quartets of the last 100 years by BBC Music Magazine, the two-time Grammy-nominated Dover Quartet is one of the world’s most in-demand chamber ensembles.
The group makes its Athens debut Jan. 17 at 7:30 p.m. in Hodgson Concert Hall. Their program includes a quartet by Black American composer Florence Price, along with selections from two of the world’s finest composers of string quartets, Haydn and Shostakovich.
The Dover Quartet is the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence at the Curtis Institute of Music and holds additional residencies at the Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University and the Walton Arts Center’s Artosphere festival.
The group’s awards include a stunning sweep of all prizes at the 2013 Banff International String Quartet Competition, grand and first prizes at the Fischoff Chamber Music Competition, and prizes at the Wigmore Hall International String Quartet Competition. Its honors include the Avery Fisher Career Grant, Chamber Music America’s Cleveland Quartet Award and Lincoln Center’s Hunt Family Award.
The Dover Quartet draws from the lineage of the distinguished Guarneri, Cleveland and Vermeer quartets. Its members studied at the Curtis Institute of Music, Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music, the New England Conservatory and the Conservatoire Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris. They were mentored extensively by Shmuel Ashkenasi, James Dunham, Norman Fischer, Kenneth Goldsmith, Joseph Silverstein, Arnold Steinhardt, Michael Tree and Peter Wiley. The Dover Quartet was formed at Curtis in 2008; its name pays tribute to “Dover Beach” by fellow Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber.
The Dover Quartet’s 2023-24 season includes a North American tour with Leif Ove Andsnes, performances with Haochen Zhang and David Shifrin, and a tour to Europe and Israel. A sought-after ensemble, recent collaborators include Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnaton, Ray Chen, the Escher String Quartet, Bridget Kibbey, Anthony McGill, Edgar Meyer, the Pavel Haas Quartet, Roomful of Teeth and Davóne Tines.
The Dover Quartet’s highly acclaimed three-volume recording, “Beethoven Complete String Quartets” (Cedille Records), was hailed as “meticulously balanced, technically clean-as-a-whistle and intonationally immaculate” (The Strad). The quartet’s discography also includes “Encores” (Brooklyn Classical), a recording of 10 popular movements from the string quartet repertoire; “The Schumann Quartets” (Azica Records), which was nominated for a Grammy for Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance; “Voices of Defiance: 1943, 1944, 1945” (Cedille Records); and an all-Mozart debut recording (Cedille Records), featuring the late Michael Tree, long-time violist of the Guarneri Quartet. “Voices of Defiance,” which explores works written during World War II by Viktor Ullman, Dmitri Shostakovich and Simon Laks, was lauded as “undoubtedly one of the most compelling discs released this year” (The Wall Street Journal).
Attendees may also enjoy a free pre-performance talk by Theresa Chafin in Ramsey Concert Hall from 6:45-7:15 p.m.
Three ways to get tickets
- Purchase tickets online at pac.uga.edu.
- Call the Performing Arts Center box office at 706-542-4400, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
- Visit the UGA Performing Arts Center box office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (five-minute parking is available in the drop off circle at the Performing Arts Center for purchasing or picking up tickets.)
Single tickets begin at $25, and UGA student tickets are just $10. Parking is free.
To learn more about all UGA Performing Arts Center events, visit pac.uga.edu.