January 26, 2007

The nationally-known Maia Quartet will perform at Dana College on Valentine’s Day, February 14. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in Trinity Chapel in the Durham Center on the Dana College campus. The performance is free and open to the public. The performance will differ from those audiences might hear in concert halls. The quartet members will talk about their instruments and introduce and explain the pieces they will play. Prior to the performance, concert-goers are invited to bring their Valentine to a buffet dinner for only $15 per person, complete with hors d’oeuvres and free champagne. The buffet will include prime rib and chicken cordon bleu, potato, vegetable and choice of dessert. Dinner tickets are available by reservation only by calling 402-426-7385. Reservations must be made by Feb. 7. The Maia Quartet’s visit to Dana College is part of an extended residency organized with The Danish Immigrant Museum in Elk Horn, Iowa, to bring the chamber music of Danish and other great Scandinavian composers to communities with strong Scandinavian roots. It grew out of a planned festival of Scandinavian/Nordic music that the Maia Quartet coordinated on the University of Iowa campus and the Iowa City community. The Quartet members, violinists Tricia Park and Zoran Jakovcic, violist Elizabeth Oakes and cellist Hannah Holman, are all on the faculty of the School of Music at the University of Iowa.

Earlier in the day, the Quartet will offer a private workshop and performance for Dana’s music students.

The Maia Quartet is a 2006-07 recipient of a Chamber Music America Residency Partnership Program Grant. Funding has been provided by the National Endowment for the Arts and the Chamber Music America Endowment Fund. Additional funding for the performance has been made possible by a gift from Dennis Andersen of Atlanta, Ga., a native of Elk Horn, Iowa.

Since its formation in 1990, the Maia Quartet has established itself nationally as an ensemble of innovation and versatility. Praised by critics for its “sparkling musical intelligence,” the Quartet has appeared in major concert halls throughout the U.S.

The Maia Quartet has gained considerable recognition for its dedication and expertise in the field of educational outreach. Widely sought after for their inspiring work with young people, they have brought their passion for music to children across the United States under the auspices of such organizations as Young Audiences, Inc. and the Midori Foundation. Currently, the Quartet runs a Pre-College Chamber Music Program and also offers a series of free “Maia Quartet Family Concerts” in Iowa City.

In addition to its work with young people, the Quartet’s commitment to reaching new adult audiences has led to collaborations with the Aspen Music Festival and with musicologist Robert Winter. They receive frequent invitations to develop short-term residencies that target a wide range of audiences, and their innovative work in this area has inspired return engagements with such organizations as Chamber Music Northwest, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Austin Chamber Music Center.

The Maia Quartet was formed at the Cleveland Institute of Music and subsequently received a fellowship to attend the Peabody Conservatory and work with Earl Carlyss. They were the recipients of the Lisa Arnhold Fellowship at the Juilliard School, where they worked with the members of the Juilliard String Quartet and served as their teaching assistants. They have held summer fellowships at the Norfolk Chamber Music Festival and at the Aspen Center for Advanced Quartet Studies, where they worked with the American, Cleveland, Emerson, and Tokyo String Quartets.

For more information,
contact Carrie L. Reed, director of college relations and marketing,
Dana College, 402-426-7385, creed@dana.edu