“The Calders—now an even more self-confident, polished powerhouse of a group than ever—produced a warm, beautiful amplified string tone...The foursome then found considerable subtly shaded expressive depth.” --The Los Angeles Times
Inspired by the innovative American visual artist Alexander Calder, the Calder Quartet continues to expand the boundaries of chamber music by performing both traditional quartet repertoire as well as partnering with innovative modern composers and performing works by emerging young musicians. The juxtaposition of old and new serves to foster a broad understanding of chamber music and continues to excite and surprise the group’s fans. Praised for its “splendor and substance,” (Alan Rich, LA Weekly) the Calder Quartet embarks on their upcoming performance schedule “fully prepared for the world stage” (Mark Swed, Los Angeles Times).
The group began its 2007-08 season as the first quartet-in-residence and newest faculty members at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Downtown Los Angeles. The season is highlighted with numerous recordings including Christopher Rouse’s String Quartet No. 1, String Quartet No. 2, and Compline to be released on the Koch label, a recording of Terry Riley’s early string works, and the self-release of an album featuring the music of Thomas Adês, Mozart, and Ravel. In addition, the Calder continues its relationship with the Carlsbad Music Festival, an alternative classical music festival in Southern California, that the group co-founded with composer Matt McBane. In 2007, the festival featured the Calder performing with world-renowned clarinetist Evan Ziporyn and premiering a work for string quartet and boticello (a robotic instrument) called Honey Flyers by Christine Southworth, founder of Ensemble Robot and winner of the Calder’s commissioning competition.
This group’s upcoming performances include a solo concert at Zipper Hall in Los Angeles in December 2007 of music by Philip Glass, Schubert, and Terry Riley. The group is also slated to perform and be honored in early 2008 as part of the Chamber Music America awards banquet in New York City and then head off to perform at Chamber Music Sedona in Arizona, The Artist Series in Tallahasse, Florida, a solo concert at Merkin Hall in New York, and as part of the much-acclaimed Wordless Music Series in New York (about which Alex Ross of The New Yorker says, “At the moment, there is no more inventive music series in New York.”)
Recent milestones for the Quartet include receiving their Artist Diplomas from The Juilliard School after serving for two years as Graduate Resident Quartet, debuting at the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and performing the music of Terry Riley at the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s Minimalist Jukebox festival in 2006. The Calders’ collaboration with Riley continues with their upcoming recording of his early works.
They have enjoyed debuts with the Washington Performing Arts Society’s Kreeger String Series at the Kennedy Center, the Mostly Mozart Festival at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, UCLA Live, San Francisco Performances, the Aspen Music Festival, and La Jolla Music Society’s SummerFest and have recently been featured in the Los Angeles Times, LA Weekly, Orange County Register,and San Diego Union Tribune. Radio appearances include performances and commentary on NPR’s Performance Today, WQXR and WNYC in New York, WGBH in Boston, and KUSC in Los Angeles.
Formed at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, the Calder Quartet also studied at the Colburn Conservatory of Music and was part of the institution’s first graduating class. The group has appeared with guest artists such as pianists Claude Frank, Menachem Pressler, and Anne-Marie McDermott, cellist and mentor Ronald Leonard, double-Grammy Award winning guitarist Sharon Isbin, flutist Ransom Wilson, harpist Nancy Allen, violinist Robert McDuffie, and mandolinist Mike Marshall.
Benjamin Jacobson, violin, was born and raised in southern California. A graduate of USC, the Colburn Conservatory, and the Juilliard School, he lives in Los Angeles where he recently joined the faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. Highlights include solo performances with the San Diego Symphony and chamber and recital appearances at Chamber Music Sedona. Mr. Jacobson studied with Robert Lipsett and performs on a Joseph Antonius Rocca violin c. 1837, on loan from the Mandell Collection.
Violinist Andrew Bulbrook whose playing was described by the Boston Globe as “having particular pizzazz,” enjoys a diverse and exciting musical career. A Massachusetts native, he began violin lessons at age six and made his solo debut with orchestra at age fifteen. As a soloist and recitalist he has appeared with ensembles such as the Boston Classical Orchestra, the Colburn Orchestra, and the American Youth Symphony in venues from Boston’s landmark Jordan Hall to Royce Hall in Los Angeles. Intrigued by the role of classical music in today’s society, Mr. Bulbrook has been a commentator on classical radio stations throughout the United States. Mr. Bulbrook is an alumnus of the University of Southern California, where he received his B.A in economics with highest honors and was named a USC Renaissance Scholar. He is the first graduate of the Colburn Conservatory and recently received his Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School. His principal teachers are Robert Lipsett, Michele Kim, and Zinaida Gilels with additional studies with Masao Kawasaki, Ron Copes, and Donald Weilerstein. He performs on a violin by Francesco Ruggieri, c. 1673 (ex-Ernst, ex-Persinger).
Jonathan Moerschel was born in Boston, Massachusetts into a musical family. His mother, a pianist, and his father, a cellist in the Boston Symphony, fostered his early studies both in piano and violin. At the age of sixteen, he began studying the viola with John Ziarko in Boston and chamber music with the violist from the Kolisch Quartet, Eugene Lehner. Moerschel made his Boston Symphony Hall solo debut with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Keith Lockhart in 1997 after taking first prize in the Boston Symphony Orchestra Concerto Competition. He received both his Bachelors and Masters degrees in viola performance from the University of Southern California, studying under Donald McInnes and Ralph Fielding, a Professional Studies Certificate from the Colburn Conservatory of Music, and an Artist Diploma from the Juilliard School in String Quartet Studies. Moerschel is an alumnus of Kneisel Hall, Norfolk, Bowdoin Music Festival, Aspen Music Festival, and the Music Academy of the West, where he received the viola fellowship. In his spare time, he enjoys sailing the waters of Southern California and cooking. He plays on the "ex-Adam" Gasparo da Salo made in the late 16th century on generous loan from the Stradivari Society.
Eric Byers studied cello in his hometown of Cincinnati with Wayne Smith, a pupil of Ronald Leonard. In 2003, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where he was a student of Leonard himself. Byers discovered his love for music during his time at Kinhaven in Vermont in the summer of 1995. He spent the next eight summers at the Aspen Music Festival, studying under Alan Harris, Eric Kim, and Richard Aaron. He was principal cellist of the Aspen Concert Orchestra, USC Thorton Youth Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, Starling Chamber Orchestra, and National Guild Youth Symphony in Philadelphia. When he is not playing his cello, Byers enjoys reading, photography, and rock climbing. He performs on a cello by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, made in Paris c.1855.
Benjamin Jacobson, violin, was born and raised in southern California. A graduate of USC, the Colburn Conservatory, and the Juilliard School, he lives in Los Angeles where he recently joined the faculty of the Colburn Conservatory. Highlights include solo performances with the San Diego Symphony and chamber and recital appearances at Chamber Music Sedona. Mr. Jacobson studied with Robert Lipsett and performs on a Joseph Antonius Rocca violin c. 1837, on loan from the Mandell Collection.
Eric Byers studied cello in his hometown of Cincinnati with Wayne Smith, a pupil of Ronald Leonard. In 2003, he received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Southern California, where he was a student of Leonard himself. Byers discovered his love for music during his time at Kinhaven in Vermont in the summer of 1995. He spent the next eight summers at the Aspen Music Festival, studying under Alan Harris, Eric Kim, and Richard Aaron. He was principal cellist of the Aspen Concert Orchestra, USC Thorton Youth Orchestra, Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra, Starling Chamber Orchestra, and National Guild Youth Symphony in Philadelphia. When he is not playing his cello, Byers enjoys reading, photography, and rock climbing. He performs on a cello by Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume, made in Paris c.1855.