Penderecki String Quartet to Perform With Acclaimed Concert Pianist Grace Fong at Chapman University, Tuesday, February 15

ORANGE, Calif., Feb. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The celebrated Penderecki String Quartet, ensemble-in-residence at Chapman University's Conservatory of Music, will perform in recital Tuesday, February 15 at 8 p.m. with internationally acclaimed concert pianist Grace Fong, Chapman assistant professor and director of keyboard studies.  The event will take place in Chapman University's Salmon Recital Hall.  Admission is $10 general public, $5 for students. For information, the public can call 714-997-6871.

Chapman University is located at One University Drive in Orange, Calif.  On-campus parking for the public is available in the evenings for $3 in the structure under the Chapman football stadium; enter off Walnut Avenue just east of Glassell Street. 

The musical program will span the centuries, including Mozart's String Quartet No. 20, K. 499 ("Hoffmeister"), Shostakovich's Piano Quintet, Op. 57, and a world premiere piece by contemporary composer Jeffrey Holmes, String Quartet No. 2 ("Kirurgi").  Holmes is assistant professor of composition at Chapman.

"It's a great opportunity to have a group like the Penderecki String Quartet come to Chapman, not just to play my composition, but to play with Grace Fong as well. They're an internationally renowned ensemble," says Holmes.

Described by Fanfare Magazine as "an ensemble of formidable power and keen musical sensitivity," the Penderecki Quartet's large discography includes more than 25 recordings, including the chamber music repertoire of Brahms on the Marquis and Eclectra labels, as well as a new release of the six Bartok quartets under the auspices of Chamber Music in Napa Valley. The Quartet has also recorded discs for CBC, CMC, Centaur, EMI and Artifact labels, among others.

During their residency at Chapman University, the quartet will also read and review the work of student composers.  Jacob Braun, the quartet's cellist, will offer a master class for student cellists.

Jeffrey Holmes' music has been performed at festivals in Germany and California, at the Chamber Music Conference in Bennington (Vermont), and in venues such as Carnegie Hall, the Historic Dvorak Museum in Prague and the Chapelle Historique de Bon-Pasteur (Montreal).

Grace Fong joined the Conservatory of Music in 2007. She has won numerous international piano competitions, including the Leeds International Piano Competition in England, and has performed at major venues around the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Kennedy Center and the Hollywood Bowl.

SOURCE Chapman University