Saturday, October 7, 7:30 pm
Ebenezer Theater
Rebecca Benjamin, violin
Brian Gadbow, cello
James Kang, viola
Njioma Grevious, violin
The Abeo Quartet, formed at Juilliard in 2018, is the first graduate string quartet in residence at the University of Delaware under the mentorship of the Calidore String Quartet. The name Abeo / ah – bey – oh / — an expression of joy in a Nigerian dialect — was chosen to reflect the group’s love for playing chamber music and sharing it with others.
Abeo’s recent accomplishments include winning Third Prize at the 2023 Bad Tölz International String Quartet Competition and being selected as one of three winners of the Concert Artists Guild Victor Elmaleh Competition. The quartet was among ten quartets invited to participate in the 14th Banff International String Quartet Competition in 2022. Abeo was a First Prize and Audience Favorite Prize winner in the Yellow Springs Chamber Music Competition for Emerging Professional Ensembles and Silver Prize winner of the Chesapeake International Chamber Music Competition, both in 2022. The quartet was a finalist in the 2021 Young Concert Artists International Competition and the silver medal winner of the 2019 Fischoff National Chamber Music Competition.
Abeo has appeared in Alice Tully Hall, The Kennedy Center’s Reach Festival with pianist Joseph Kalichstein, the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center’s masterclass series with the Danish String Quartet, and on WQXR’s Midday Masterpieces. In 2022, the quartet performed in the Music@Menlo Chamber Institute and Workshop and the Juilliard String Quartet Workshop. In 2021, they attended the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, coached by the Brentano, Emerson and Miró quartets. Abeo participated in Norway’s 2019 Vertavo Festival, performing seven Haydn string quartets and was in residence at the Glenstone Museum, debuting “Moonshot” by Alistair Coleman. During their time at Juilliard, Abeo studied regularly in the Honors Chamber Music Program under the tutelage of The Juilliard String Quartet.
Franz Joseph Haydn
String Quartet in D minor, Opus 76, No. 2
Allegro
Andante o più tosto allegretto
Menuetto
Finale: Vivace Assai
Ed Calle
The Iberia Suite
Midnight Rumba
Siesta
Pamplona
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat for Violin & Viola, K.364
Allegro maestoso
Andante
Presto
Ludwig van Beethoven
String Quartet in B-flat Major, Opus 18, No. 6
Allegro con brio
Adagio ma non troppo
Scherzo: Allegro
La Malinconia: Adagio-Allegretto quasi Allegro
Ludwig van Beethoven:
(1770-1827)
Piano Sonata No. 16 in G Major, Opus 31. No. 1
Zhu Wang, piano
Robert Schumann:
(1810-1856)
Fantasiestücke, Op. 73
Natalie Loughran, viola
Zhu Wang, piano
Florence Price:
(1887-1953)
Two Fantasies
Randall Goosby, violin
Zhu Wang, piano
INTERMISSION
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart:
(1756-1791)
Sinfonia Concertante in E-flat for Violin & Viola, K. 364
Allegro maestoso
Andante
Presto
Randall Goosby, violin
Natalie Loughran, viola
Zhu Wang, piano
Click the button below to see photos from our past Interlude concerts.