October 4, 2008, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

Charles Ives String Quartet No. 1
Gabriela Lena Frank Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E flat major, op. 74

October 8, 2008, Waltham, MA
Noon concert, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

Gabriela Lena Frank Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E flat major, op. 74

October 25, 2008, Hamilton, NY
Master class for undergraduate chamber music students, Colgate University

October 26, 2008, Hamilton, NY
Colgate University Concert Series

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E flat major, op. 74
Gabriela Lena Frank Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet in G minor, K. 516, with Laura Klugherz, viola

November 2, 2008, Utica, NY
Chamber Music Society of Utica, Museum of Art Auditorium, Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute

Charles Ives String Quartet No. 1
Gabriela Lena Frank Leyendas: An Andean Walkabout (2001)
John Harbison Thanks, Victor (1994)
Dexter Morrill Iron Horse Concerto for piano quintet (1997), with Steve Heyman, piano

November 8, 2008, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2
Bright Sheng Quartet no. 4, "Silent Temple" (2000)
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Quintet in G minor, K. 516, with Laura Klugherz, viola

November 12, 2008, Waltham, MA
Noon concert, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C# minor, op. 131

November 14, 2008, Amherst, NY
Slee Beethoven Series, Lippes Concert Hall at Slee Hall, SUNY University at Buffalo

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E flat major, op. 74
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C# minor, op. 131

"As they played, they were focused, in tune and of one mind... The witty and beautiful "Harp" quartet showed the delicacy of their playing. The coda to the first movement had a zest and a magic — enough so that the audience applauded afterward, a trend that mysteriously continued throughout the concert's first half. The rapid third movement was full of fine interplay among the instruments... The Quartet in G, Op. 18, No. 2 was immediately engaging. Stepner proved himself throughout the evening to be a stellar leader, articulating his lines with ease, depth and emotion... The quartet is capable of subtle gradations in volume. The passages of exquisite quiet were especially thrilling. The balance among the instruments was also exemplary. No one drowned anyone out. Everyone could be heard. These strengths all combined to make the concluding Quartet in C Sharp Minor, Op. 131, a satisfying journey. This quartet is a tough nut to crack. It's all over the map, both in mood and in melody. It is to the Lydians' credit that they made it relatively accessible. Your mind didn't wander, listening to this group... All in all, a fulfilling performance of a challenging program."
Mary Kunz Goldman, The Buffalo News, November 15, 2008, link to full review

November 15, 2008, Amherst, NY
Master class for graduate composition students at Baird Hall, SUNY University at Buffalo

November 16, 2008, Great Barrington, MA
South Berkshire Concert Series, McConnell Auditorium at the Daniel Arts Center, Bard College at Simon's Rock

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in G major, op. 18 no. 2
Charles Ives String Quartet No. 1
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C# minor, op. 131

"the Lydian delivered beautifully reasoned and integrated performances of all three of its selections. Opus 131 is not just music you play; it is music you submit to. When you do that, as the Lydian did, the effect is a kind of communion with the gods. What a world of difference there is between the young Beethoven testing his muscles in Opus 18 and the deaf old man of Opus 131 exploring new realms of music a few years before his death. Yet in the Lydian's performances, there was a rewarding connection. The playing brought out the debt to Haydn in the early work, one of six in Beethoven's first set of string quartets. The rambunctious exchanges between players in the middle of the first movement were worth a smile, with more smiles to come in the joking scherzo and finale... With its seven continuous movements, Opus 131 — Beethoven's favorite among his 16 quartets — still sounds visionary. Commencing with a fugue in which time and motion seem to stand still, the music soars, dances, questions, answers, descends into contemplation, and strides into an unknown future. The Lydian ascended these heights and plumbed these depths with playing that was at once secure, blended, warm in tone, and expressive of meaning... Ives' first quartet, subtitled "From the Salvation Amy" (or sometimes "Revival Service") for its grounding in gospel hymns, is a student work... The Lydian joined the composer in poking gentle fun at the old tunes and musical forms (an opening fugue, for example). There were affection and nostalgia in the now mostly forgotten melodies."
Andrew Pincus, The Berkshire Eagle, November 18, 2008

January 28, 2009, Waltham, MA
Noon concert, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

Yehudi Wyner Brandeis Sunday (1994)
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E minor, op. 59 no. 2

January 31, 2009, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

Yehudi Wyner Brandeis Sunday (1994)
Henri Dutilleux Ainsi la Nuit (1976)
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E minor, op. 59 no. 2

February 28, 2009, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

New Music Brandeis (Graduate student composers concert)

March 11, 2009, Waltham, MA
Noon concert, Rose Art Museum, Brandeis University

Ernst von Dohnanyi Serenade in C major for string trio, op. 10
Felix Mendelssohn Quartet in A minor, op. 13

March 14, 2009, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C minor, op. 18 no. 4
Ernst von Dohnanyi Serenade in C major for string trio, op. 10
Felix Mendelssohn Quartet in A minor, op. 13

March 29, 2009, Waltham, MA
Women's Studies Research Center, Brandeis University

Florence Price Two Folk Songs in Counterpoint
Ruth Loman The Butterfly Effect (1989)
Beth Denisch Phantasmagoria
Magaly Ruiz Three Dances
Teresa Carreño String Quartet in B minor

April 19, 2009, Natick, MA
Chamber Music Series, The Center For the Arts at Natick

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C minor, op. 18 no. 4
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in F major, op. 135
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E minor, op. 59 no. 2

April 24, 2009, Amherst, NY
Slee Beethoven Series, Lippes Concert Hall at Slee Hall, SUNY University at Buffalo

Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in C minor, op. 18 no. 4
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in F major, op. 135
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in E minor, op. 59 no. 2

"So perfectly in synch are these musicians that sometimes, especially in very soft passages, they do not even sound like a quartet. They sound like a voice, or a rustle, or a sigh. They can bend the timing together, craft crescendos and decrescendos of breathtaking subtlety and turn out nifty dramatic endings... Their skills were showcased to fine effect in the three quartets that traditionally end every year's Slee series: the Quartet in C Minor, Op. 18, No. 4; the Quartet in F, Op. 135; and the Quartet in E Minor, Op. 59, No. 2... The Scherzo of the C minor quartet was especially witty and entertaining, because of the superb timing... The evening as a whole peaked with the concluding "Razumovsky" Quartet. Everything the Lydian did well came through here. The Russian melody in the Scherzo shone as the musicians bounced it around one to another. They have a great sense of rhythm that makes a piece like this tremendously exciting. Cellist Joshua Gordon, in the slow movement, showed off his rich, lyrical tone. And the last movement, quirky and Gypsyish, was top-notch Beethoven. The Lydian dug into it with rustic enthusiasm. Comedy is hard to do well, and the humorous aspects of the Op. 59 quartet brought out a different side of the Lydian than we saw in November, when the quartet played the thorny Op. 131."
Mary Kunz Goldman, The Buffalo News, April 24, 2009, link to full review

April 25, 2009, Amherst, NY
Master class for graduate composition students at Baird Hall, SUNY University at Buffalo

June 6, 2009, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

Franz Joseph Haydn Quartet No. 32 in C major, op. 33 no. 3, Hob.III:39, "The Bird"
Gabriel Fauré String Quartet in E minor, op. 121
Felix Mendelssohn Quartet No. 4 in E minor, op. 44 no. 2

June 13, 2009, Waltham, MA
Slosberg Music Center, Brandeis University

A Celebration Of Yehudi Wyner's 80th Birthday

Yehudi Wyner String Quartet (1985)
Yehudi Wyner Concert Duo for violin and piano (1955), with Yehudi Wyner, piano
Yehudi Wyner Madrigal (1999)
Ludwig Van Beethoven Quartet in F major, op. 135