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WINDERMERE STRING QUARTET CLOSES ITS EIGHTH SEASON WITH “THE
ART OF THE FUGAL FINALE”

Contact: Laura Jones (416) 516-8487
ldeanjones@hotmail.com

On Sunday, April 28th at 3:00 p.m, the Windermere String Quartet on Period
Instruments will conclude the eighth season of its Concert Series with a celebration of the fugal finale. The programme will include Haydn’s op. 20 #6, Toronto composer Stephanie Martin’s “From a Distant Island,” and Beethoven’s op. 59 #3. The concert will take place at St. Olave’s Anglican Church, 360 Windermere Ave., just south of Bloor (between Runnymede and Jane/South Kingsway). Tickets are $20; $14 for seniors/students and can be purchased securely online at the Quartet’s website,  www.windermerestringquartet.com or reserved by phone at (416) 769-0952. For more  information, phone (416) 769-0952 or visit www.windermerestringquartet.com

In the 2011-2012 season, the Windermere String Quartet were honoured to be the
dedicatees of the first string quartet composed by multi-talented Torontonian musician Stephanie Martin. At home in both contemporary and early music, Stephanie wrote us a wonderful quartet, combining traditional compositional techniques with a modern sensibility. “From a Distant Island” closes with a final fugue, which inspired us to explore other classic quartets with fugal finales. What, we wondered, draws quartet composers to conclude their works with this somewhat antique musical form? Does its contrapuntal nature appeal to a sense of instrumental justice, giving each instrument an equal voice? Or is it an opportunity to display compositional virtuosity by fusing intellectual and expressive approaches? The finale of Haydn’s op. 20 #6 leans towards the latter, while the famous conclusion of Beethoven’s op. 59 #3 is an example of the former, a dazzling showcase for all four members of the Quartet. We trust our audience will leave the concert with all their fugal questions answered!

Described by the Toronto Star as “Toronto’s masters of the genre” for period instrument string quartets, the Windermere String Quartet (Rona Goldensher and Elizabeth Loewen Andrews, violins, Anthony Rapoport, viola and Laura Jones, cello) is known for its dynamic performances and distinctive sound. The Quartet’s own series concerts take place in the warm acoustic and intimate atmosphere of St. Olave’s Anglican Church in Toronto’s vibrant west end. The WSQ has been quartet-in-residence at CAMMAC Lake MacDonald and Music at Port Milford, and has also performed at the Toronto Music Garden, Nuit Blanche, Toronto’s Academy Concert Series, Toronto Early Music Centre’s “Musically Speaking” series, and Stratford Chamber Music. Their recently released CD, “The Golden Age of String Quartets,” has been praised for its “period performances that blend life, spirit and soul with a perfectly-judged sensitivity for contemporary style and practice.” The WSQ gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council.