Dover String Quartet begins innovative residency at Curtis, combining teaching, touring, and technology
The Curtis Institute of Music announces the launch of a new faculty residency, the Penelope P. Watkins Ensemble in Residence program, which will be held by the internationally renowned Dover Quartet. This innovative program redesigns the faculty residence model for the 21st century, integrating teaching at Curtis, a robust international performance career, and a cutting-edge digital presence. These three pillars—teaching, touring, and technology—will all be fostered at Curtis in a holistic and cohesive way.
Beginning August 31, Curtis assumes responsibility for the Dover Quartet’s concert booking representation, which will be handled by the Curtis on Tour office, headed by Andrew Lane, Curtis on Tour’s managing director. Curtis is working closely with MKI Artists, which has represented the ensemble since 2012, to ensure a smooth transition into this new partnership. “It's been such a pleasure to represent the Dover Quartet for the first decade of their career and to see how they have blossomed musically, professionally, and personally,” remarked John Zion, managing director of MKI Artists. “I'm very proud of the work we've done together, and even more so of who the members have become as musicians and people. I wish them all the very best as they move into the next stage of their career in the capable hands of Andrew Lane and everyone at the Curtis Institute.”
Hailed as “the next Guarneri String Quartet” (Chicago Tribune), the appointment of the Dover Quartet continues Curtis’s longstanding tradition of maintaining an unparalleled faculty of the world’s top performers and teachers, and its legacy of close associations with leading American string quartets, including the legendary Curtis String Quartet and the celebrated Guarneri Quartet.
“From the first time I heard the Dover Quartet I have been struck by their commitment to the pursuit of beauty and truth,” stated Jeremy Geffen, now executive and artistic director of Cal Performances and an early champion of the quartet in his previous post as senior director and artistic advisor at Carnegie Hall. “Their unity of intent and their curiosity distinguish them in a crowded field, as does the breadth of their repertoire interests. Though the group is committed to the live performance experience, their willingness to experiment—successfully—with other performance formats, and their embrace of technology and spreading their love of music to as broad an audience as possible has made them the model 21st-century string quartet. None of this would matter at all if the group didn’t play with the sort of edge-of-their-seat excitement and virtuosity that inspires audiences and converts every listener to a member of their fan club.”
Supporting a new career model for the 21st-century string quartet is exactly what Curtis President and CEO Roberto Díaz envisions for this new initiative. “Thanks to the generosity of Penelope Watkins, the Dover Quartet and Curtis have the tremendous opportunity to partner together to completely reimagine the career path possibilities of a revolutionary, modern ensemble,” declared Mr. Díaz. “The Dover Quartet will be free to fully explore where their artistry takes them, while also shaping the future of classical music performers and audiences, from what will always be their home: Curtis in Philadelphia. Just like the best of ensembles, this Curtis and Dover Quartet partnership can do something far more creative and impactful together than we could ever have dreamed of alone.”
This appointment further strengthens the multiple and deep ties between Curtis and the highly acclaimed ensemble. The Dover Quartet was formed at Curtis in 2008, and the members are all alumni of the school: Bryan A. Lee (Violin ’11), Joel Link (Violin ’11), Milena Pajaro-van de Stadt (Viola ’10, ’11), and Camden Shaw (Cello ’10, ’11). In 2013, the Dover Quartet became the inaugural members of Curtis’s Nina von Maltzahn String Quartet Program, a fellowship program for extraordinary young string ensembles. In addition, the quartet’s name pays tribute to Dover Beach, a work for baritone and string quartet composed by Curtis alumnus Samuel Barber (Composition ’34) in 1931. As former Curtis students and current internationally renowned artists, the Dover Quartet returns to Curtis uniquely positioned to inspire and foster the artistry and careers of nascent chamber ensembles.
Booking Now: Strings Attached Documentary
On the Road with the Dover Quartet
The Dover Quartet is the subject of a new documentary by Bruce Broder entitled Strings Attached, which delves into the on- and off-stage lives of these four superb musicians.
The most-viewed film at the Martha’s Vineyard FILMUSIC Festival—BOOKING NOW!
Present the Dover Quartet’s newly released documentary to your patrons with on-demand digital viewing.
Strings Attached delves into the lives—on- and off-stage—of the four superb musicians who form the Dover Quartet. From their start as students at the Curtis Institute of Music, the documentary tells the story of the acclaimed ensemble’s formation; their “practically meteoric” (Strings) rise to stardom, beginning with a stunning sweep of the prestigious Banff International String Quartet Competition; and their personal and professional growing pains as they realize their dreams of becoming one of the world’s most in-demand string quartets.
Contact us to book a digital viewing for your audience.
BOOKING CONTACT IN LATINOAMÉRICA (documental with spanish subtitles)
Angélica Fanjul
+56 9 7 978 2364
fanjul@fanjulandward.com