The Ambrosia Quartet: Simon Lapointe, Rebecca Gilmore, Mayu Kuroda Cipriano, Beverly Kane Baker. Photo: David Beloff www.ambrosiaquartet.com
CONCERT #1: PASSPORT
Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7:00pm
Bring your passport as we explore pages from musical travel diaries, with evocative pieces by Glazunov, Hailstork, Borodin, and Lipsky. Featuring: the Ambrosia Quartet.
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7:00pm
Location: Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation | 1775 Historic Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Program
Five Novelettes, Op. 15 (1886) by Alexander Glazunov
I. Alla spagnuola. Allegretto
II. Orientale. Allegro con brio
III. Interludium in modo antico. Andante
IV. Valse. Allegretto
V. All’ Ungherese. Allegretto
Eslanda Dances (2014) by Adolphus Hailstork
I. Moderato
II. Andantino
III. Adagietto
IV. Adagietto - moderato
Excerpts from String Quartet No. 2 in D major (1881) by Alexander Borodin
I. Allegro moderato
III. Notturno. Andante
Fiesta! (2013) by Helmut Lipsky
Featuring the Ambrosia Quartet
In 2002, four friends decided to join forces to explore their collective passion for chamber music. Thus, Hampton Roads’ Ambrosia Quartet was formed.
This dynamic ensemble will thrill you with their interpretations of the very best music written for string quartet, from classical favorites to the most recent compositions of celebrated contemporary composers. These talented individuals are all members of the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, but their backgrounds are as diverse as the music they play. Violinists Simon Lapointe and Mayu Cipriano hail from Québec and Tokyo, respectively; violist Beverly Kane Baker grew up locally in Hampton; and cellist Rebecca Gilmore came to the area from Charlotte, North Carolina. Their resumes collectively represent many years of study at the very best conservatories, including the Peabody Conservatory of the Johns Hopkins University, Indiana and Rice Universities, and the Juilliard School.
In nearly twenty years of recitals, Ambrosia Quartet has explored the chamber music of Haydn to Hailstork and Shostakovich to Caroline Shaw. They have been featured by prestigious organizations such as The Feldman Chamber Music Series, the Virginia Arts Festival, and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra. Fond of collaborations, the quartet has performed a Lapointe transcription of Chopin’s Piano Concerto in f with concert pianist Prisca Benoit as part of Sentara Heart Hospital’s “Music & Medicine” series, founded by Dr. Kamal Chémali, a neurologist specializing in performance medicine.
WHRO has featured this dynamo group over radio and livestream concert, most recently, “Sonatas & Stories”. The quartet is adaptable, reveling in different styles to diverse audiences in churches, museums, libraries, and fine concert halls in the U.S. and internationally.
The quartet has worked closely with Hampton Roads’ composers, having recorded Dr. Adolphus Hailstork’s “Swing Low, Sweet Chariot” (Albany Records) with “great style and lively energy” gathering listeners daily on Spotify and YouTube and premiered several works by John S. Dixon, including serving as artistic editors of Dixon's transcription for string quartet of Mozart's famous variations for piano on Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. They have forged another bond within the community recently, becoming the Quartet in Residence for The Academy of Music, a community music school headquartered in Norfolk as well as a partnership with the Hampton Roads Chamber Players’ students.
Some might think it no surprise that an excellent orchestra would bring forth an excellent string quartet, but this is not always the case. Chamber music ensembles require a rare chemistry to elevate the playing to a special realm. The Ambrosia Quartet has that chemistry and achieves that elevation. In classical mythology, "ambrosia" is the food of the gods: this quartet exists to share ambrosia with you.
www.ambrosiaquartet.com
Concert and ticket information
Concert #1: Passport, featuring the Ambrosia Quartet
Date: Saturday, October 29, 2022 at 7:00pm
Location: Great Bridge Battlefield & Waterways History Foundation | 1775 Historic Way, Chesapeake, VA 23320
Tickets available online and at the door —
Single adult ticket: $20 / Adult season ticket: $65
Single senior (60+)/student ticket: $15 / Senior season ticket: $55
Passport
Bring your passport as we explore pages from musical travel diaries, with evocative pieces by Glazunov, Hailstork, Borodin, and Lipsky.