The S&R Foundation and the Library of Congress Host Grammy Award-Winning Artists Performing with Rare Historic Instruments
Parker Quartet with Kikuei Ikeda to play at the Library of Congress and Evermay estate in concerts featuring the Tuscan-Medici Stradivari viola
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The S&R Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports talented individuals with high aspirations in the arts and sciences, has partnered with the Library of Congress to host two exclusive performances by the internationally acclaimed Parker Quartet featuring world renowned violinist and violist Kikuei Ikeda. At the Library of Congress on December 18th, the group will perform on rare Stradivari instruments from the Library's Whittall Collection. On December 19th at Evermay, Mr. Ikeda will play one of the world's ten existing Stradivari violas, the superb Tuscan-Medici viola made in 1690.
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"The Parker Quartet and Library of Congress honor a long standing musical tradition through the performance of legendary compositions on these authentic instruments, and we're thrilled to offer this unique program for new generations to enjoy," said Dr. Sachiko Kuno, president and CEO of the S&R Foundation.
The performances bring together one-of-a-kind instruments and world-class musicians and musical experts. Mr. Ikeda has performed with the Tokyo String Quartet for nearly 40 years, and served as a faculty member at the Yale School of Music since 1976. The Grammy Award-winning Parker Quartet has toured internationally since their formation in 2002 and will serve as Harvard University's Blodgett Artists-in-Residence beginning in fall 2014. In pre-concert talks at both venues, Library of Congress instrument curator Carol Lynn Ward-Bamford, violist Jessica Bodner and luthier John Montgomery will offer attendees background on the craftsmanship of Antonio Stradivari and the history and provenance of the Tuscan-Medici viola, on loan to the Library from the Tuscan Corporation.
"The S&R Foundation and Library of Congress share a passion for preserving history and culture through the arts. We are delighted to be inaugurating a new partnership between our two institutions with these two performances," said Susan H, Vita, Chief of the Library's Music Division. "The intimate music room at Evermay, and the Library's Coolidge Auditorium, are acoustically perfect settings to experience these beautiful 17th-century instruments."
The performances will be held at the Library of Congress on December 18 and the Foundation's headquarters, Evermay estate, on December 19, as part of the Overtures Holiday Concert Series. Tickets to the two performances can be purchased at Ticketmaster.com, for the Library of Congress concert; and http://overturesseries.org/content/parker-quartet-kikuei-ikeda.
About the S&R Foundation
The S&R Foundation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization created in 2000 to support talented individuals with great potential and high aspirations in the sciences and arts, especially those who are furthering international cultural collaboration. Our goals are simple, yet bold: to create, support and facilitate initiatives that encourage scientific and artistic innovation, and promote cultural and personal growth. For more information, visit www.SandRFoundation.org.
About Concerts from the Library of Congress
The Coolidge Auditorium, constructed in 1925 through a generous gift from Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge, has been an internationally-renowned venue for countless world-class performers and performances. Gertrude Clarke Whittall presented to the Library a gift of five Stradivari instruments which were first heard here during a concert on January 10, 1936. With the world's largest music archive as a foundation, the Concerts from the Library of Congress series presents a broad range of free public programs: chamber music, jazz, American musical theater, pop, folk, and country.
SOURCE S&R Foundation
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