Duo Concertante Rose Gellert Hall Series Saturday, May 13, 2023 – 7:30pm
June 28, 2022
~SOLD OUT!~ Jane Coop, piano Rose Gellert Hall Series Saturday, January 28, 2023 – 7:30pm
June 28, 2022
Microcosmos was formed in Vancouver in the spring of 2010 to perform the rich repertoire of string quartets written in the past 100 years. Marc Destrubé (violin), Andrea Siradze (violin), Tawnya Popoff (viola) and Rebecca Wenham (cello) will play one of the pillars of the repertoire for string quartet, Schubert’s deeply-moving ‘Death and the Maiden’ quartet, along with ground-breaking works from two of the most important composers of the early 20th century, Debussy’s String Quartet in g minor, Op. 10 and Stravinsky’s Three Pieces for String Quartet.
Rose Gellert Hall Series
Single Tickets: Adult $30 / Senior $27 / Student $18 / LCMS Student $10
Subscription (4 concerts): Adult $102 / Senior $92 / Students $62 / LCMS Students $39
Order Today!
To place an order, or if you have any questions, please call the Box Office at 604-534-2848. You can also purchase online at Eventbrite.
Health and Safety
Please note that the concert will comply with any public health guidelines in place at the time of the concert. If it is necessary to cancel a concert, full refunds for that concert will be given.
Supporters and Government Partners
About Microcosmos Quartet
Biography
Microcosmos was formed in Vancouver in the spring of 2010 to perform the rich repertoire of string quartets written in the 20th and 21st centuries. The quartet takes advantage of the compactness and portability of a string quartet – four chairs and adequate light are all that is required – to present some of the greatest music of the 20th and 21st centuries in intimate spaces and sometimes unusual venues such as private homes, clubs, small halls, public and commercial buildings, for an audience that can experience the music close at hand. More recently the quartet has begun performing 19th and 18th century masterworks.
The six quartets of Béla Bartók form the core of the quartet’s repertoire, complemented by important related works, including those by Canadian composers. Aside from the quartet’s intimate ‘house’ concerts, they have been guests on other series including a performance of Benjamin Britten’s three quartets celebrating his centennial for Music on Main’s lauded ‘Cellar’ series, the premiere of eleven works for quartet as ensemble-in-residence for Vancouver Pro Musica’s ‘Further’ Series, and ‘Speaking in Ligeti’, an interdisciplinary collaboration with MMHop Productions and four dancers that toured to Halifax and Ottawa.
In 2015 the quartet launched the Kessler Academy, an annual educational initiative featuring a conductor-less string orchestra mentorship program led by the quartet members. (http://kessleracademy.com)
Marc Destrubé, violin
Marc Destrubé enjoys an international career as a performer of baroque and classical music on period instruments, and performs extensively as soloist, chamber musician, concertmaster and director of orchestras on modern instruments, particularly music of the 20th century and new music. He is a member of the Turning Point Ensemble, first violinist with the Axelrod String Quartet (Smithsonian Institution) and co-concertmaster of the Orchestra of the 18th Century (Amsterdam). A much-loved teacher, he has given masterclasses at conservatories and universities around the world, and teaches privately. His teachers included two eminent string quartet leaders, Norbert Brainin (Amadeus Quartet) and Sandor Végh (Végh Quartet). http://marcdestrube.com
Andrea Siradze, violin
“I love being surrounded by people who make music because they enjoy it. I will continue to surround myself with such people”. After her Vancouver studies Andrea Siradze moved to Germany, where contemporary music was the focal point of her stay, highlighted by commemorative performances that celebrated composers in person, those that are responsible for shaping the direction of music today. She is a member of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra, concertmaster of Lions Gate Sinfonia, and a member of the Microcosmos Quartet. Andrea’s loves are many and include spending time with her family and the wondrous surroundings of the West Coast. Of her future Andrea says, “I’m very happy to be doing everything I’m doing, I wouldn’t change a thing. I’m happy to just play – this is what I want.”
Tawnya Popoff, viola
Canadian violist Tawnya Popoff enjoys an exciting and versatile international career. In addition to being principal violist with the Vancouver Opera (BC), she is a member of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (TX), Turning Point Ensemble (BC) and a founding member of Microcosmos string quartet/Kessler Academy (BC).
She is passionately devoted to developing and performing music by living composers and has been involved in performing over 100 commissioned works, more than half being by women and underrepresented communities.
Valuing education immensely, she has served on the faculties of the Perlman Music Program, University of Pennsylvania, Syracuse University, SUNY Buffalo, Bowdoin International Music Festival, The Walden School, and Artes no Camiño (Spain), the Vancouver Academy of Music and in her private studio. She studied with Gerald Stanick (Fine Arts Quartet) Martha Katz (Cleveland Quartet)
Rebecca Wenham, cello
Cellist Rebecca Wenham’s performances have been described as “silken, highly refined” (the Globe and Mail) as well as having “extraordinary commitment and maturity” (La Gazette). Her animated playing style is often surprising, dramatic and impulsive, leaving a breathless audience on the edge of their seats. She has performed across North America, Mexico, Europe, Japan and Australia. Formerly a member of the Cecilia String Quartet, she won prizes in the Osaka, Rutenberg, Bordeaux and Banff International String Quartet Competitions, and was a CBC Galaxie Rising Star in 2007. Recent highlights include performances of the Elgar Cello Concerto with the Vancouver Philharmonic, the Brahms Double Concerto with the Lion’s Gate Sinfonia, as well as a sold-out solo cello concert of music of the 21st century, presented by Music on Main at the Fox Cabaret. Rebecca is principal cello of the Vancouver Opera Orchestra. She holds degrees from the HARID Conservatory of Music, and from Rice, San Diego State and McGill Universities.
