|
Our 2008--2009
Past Seasons: |
The Garth Newel Piano Quartet
Throughout her life Christine Kendall devoted herself to the arts. She was an accomplished artist, and also had an interest in chamber music. In the 1970s, she met Luca and Arlen Di Cecco, who at the time were cellist and violinist of the Rowe String Quartet. At Christine's urging, the Di Cecco's began a chamber music study program at Garth Newel for their students in the summer of 1973, and the Rowe Quartet began presenting concerts on the Garth Newel property. Christine died in June 1981, bequeathing the property and a modest fund to the Garth Newel Music Center Foundation. The Di Cecco's devoted themselves to the continued development of the Music Center, and it grew from a season of a half-dozen concerts in the mid-70's to more than 50 today. Although the Di Cecco's have since retired from the Foundation, the Garth Newel Music Foundation continues its mission to celebrate the infinite variety of chamber music in an intimate setting of natural beauty. The Garth Newel Piano Quartet is the Garth Newel resident ensemble. Teresa Ling, violin, is an avid chamber musician. She has been a member of the Mariposa Piano Trio, the Aurelian Trio, and first violinist with the Dakota String Quartet while also performing as concertmaster of the South Dakota Symphony. She has also served on the faculties of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, the University of South Dakota, and Augustana (SD), Northwestern (IA), and Dordt Colleges. As a recipient of a Rotary Fellowship, she obtained the Advanced Diploma from London's Royal Academy of Music. She received a Master's Degree in Violin Performance from the Eastman School of Music and a Bachelor's Degree in Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry from Yale University. Evelyn Grau, viola, holds degrees from Yale University and Peabody College at Vanderbilt, with further studies at the University of Michigan and Academia Musicale Chigiana in Siena, Italy. Ms. Grau has served on the faculties of the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and Western Michigan University in Kalamazoo. She has been artist-in-residence at Garth Newel during summers since 1983, and joined Garth Newel full-time in 1992. Ms. Grau also pursues interests as a baroque violinist, and in this capacity has served as concertmistress with the Kansas City Early Music Consort. Tobias Werner, cello, has been the Cellist-in-Residence at the Garth Newel Music Center in Virginia since 1999. He is a founding member of the Florestan Piano Trio. As a former member of the Sikorski String Quartet, Mr. Werner performed extensively in Germany, on their own concert series in Switzerland, and recorded for the MDR radio station in Germany. Mr. Werner studied at the Musikhochschule Freiburg, Germany, and holds the Master of Music degree from Boston University, where he received the Director's Award Scholarship as well as the Pi Kappa Lambda award. Victor Santiago Asuncion, piano, has performed in Canada, Japan, Mexico and his native Philippines, as well as major venues in the United States. Mr. Asuncion's recordings can be heard on the Hartt and ERM labels, as well as DEUX, the independent label he founded in 1996. Mr. Asuncion is currently Assistant Professor of Piano at the University of Memphis. |
Garth Newel was the name given to the 114 acre estate in Bath County,
Virginia, when William Sergeant Kendall and his young bride Christine
Herter Kendall moved there in the 1920s. Garth Newel is a Welsh phrase
meaning "new hearth" or "new home." The Kendalls remained at Garth Newel
for the rest of their lives.