Stony Brook’s Pangaea String Quartet Performs at Kronos Young Artists Concert

STONY BROOK, N.Y. —Stony Brook’s Pangaea String Quartet was recently selected for the highly competitive Kronos Quartet Carnegie Hall Professional Training Workshop, which was followed by a public performance. The quartet is made up Stony Brook graduate students: Rose Chung (cello), Elizabeth Kuefler (viola), Emma Lee Holmes-Hicks (violin), and Esther Noh (violin).

The Kronos Training Workshop offers a unique opportunity for four groups of young artists to be coached by the widely acclaimed Kronos Quartet in an intimate setting. During the workshop, the group coaches the quartets on eight pieces written for it by various composers including Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Alexandra du Bois and John Zorn.

After learning from experiences of commissioning and performing new works of the Kronos Quartet, the four groups performed three pieces each at the Kronos Young Artists Concert on April 28 in Zankel Hall, New York. The Pangea Quartet performed Responso by Aníbal Troilo and Nacho Verduzco by Chalino Sánchez, both arranged by Osvaldo Golijov; and Oasis, composed by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh.

Members of the Pangea Quartet were eager to extend their gratitude to their mentors, fellow students and teachers at Stony Brook for helping them prepare for the performance, and the Kronos Quartet for the opportunity and the inspiration they bestowed upon them.

“It was a really great opportunity to get to know [The Kronos Quartet], and they are very supportive,” said Elizabeth. “With coming back now to school I feel like I am more able to work very hard but to also be a little bit more creative and open because I think that’s one of the things the Kronos group does very well.”

“I was just amazed how they gave us their ideas but then let us do what we wanted to do,” added Emma. “We were able to be really creative together as a group and we just grew so much within one week together.”

The four participating quartets were chosen through formal application, including audition recordings. The Pangea Quartet was the only group consisting of current students. Pangea has served as the resident string quartet for the Stony Brook University Contemporary Chamber Players Quartet since September 2005. During their time at Stony Brook, they have performed musical styles ranging from classical to contemporary at the University and throughout the New York area.

The Quartet has coached with the Emerson String Quartet, Gil Kalish, Daniel Gilbert, and Eduardo Leandro, and performed with numerous acclaimed musicians including Kanye West, John Zorn, Edgar Meyer, and Mark O’Connor. They have also premiered in a number of pieces by student composers.

Pictured left to right: Emma Lee Holmes-Hicks, Esther Noh, Elizabeth Kuefler, and Rose Chung (Image by Pangea Quartet)